The Solar Eclipse
by TheUnbreakableHorcrux
Summary: (Supernatural AU, Werewolf!Paige) It's not easy being Paige McCullers: dealing with abominations, siphons and werewolves; balancing pack issues with school and swimming; trying to be 'just friends' with Emily Fields. Not to mention the silently approaching war between the Hunters and the packs. She can only hope that she finishes senior year with her head on her shoulders.
1. Chapter 1

**PART ONE**

Although the sun had set hours ago, the heat was stifling and as Paige darted through the forest, it made her skin shine with sweat. All she feel was heat; heat from the air, heat from her body and heat from the blood that rushed to her head.

Paige could hear them chasing her and the fear of being caught only pushed her to run faster. Her legs burned and while she knew that they'd be as heavy as lead when she stopped, the thought of being caught was too terrifying to entertain.

She weaved between the thick trunks with ease, fleeing beneath the cover of night. With only the moon to illuminate the forest floor, she struggled to find a proper exit. She kept thinking one horrible thought: if she missed her footing, they'd catch her for sure.

And it was with this thought in mind that Paige tripped on an overgrown root. She fell to the forest floor, side first. She tumbled on the floor and as her body began to slow, she jumped to her feet. Her balance was slightly off but her fear was too great to concentrate on anything else. All she could focus on was the dozens of eyes glowing in the dark, all watching her.

Their eyes, all yellow and luminescent, watched her with careful consideration. They were constantly swaying, as if trying to confuse Paige. It wasn't long until they had her surrounded. Paige was slowly turning around, making complete circles, lest one of them sneak up behind her.

They began to growl and snarl at her, trying to get a rise out of her. This only got louder as Paige grew more panicked. Her blood began to boil as the urge to escape grew to be overwhelming. Her face grew flushed yet paled as she realised that they were getting bolder.

One of them finally stepped out from the shadows and Paige's blood, once like fire, now ran cold. This creature looked like an abomination, the kind of monster that children would look under their beds for.

It had the body of a man but the skin and head of a wolf. It towered over Paige at six or seven feet tall, she couldn't tell. It had a mass of grey fur on its head, spine, arms and legs, and had a bushy tail. It arms were longer than its torso, reaching down to its knees. Its body was thick and muscular, yet lithe and proportionate. However, all Paige could notice were the glowing eyes, razor-like claws and fangs that dripped with venom.

She was surrounded by fifteen or so werewolves with no way out.

The grey werewolf had lunged towards her, running on its hind legs and with one of its arms raised to strike down Paige. She barely had time to dodge to the side before its claws swiped down on her. Before the beast could realise that it had only grazed the air, Paige kicked the back of its knees, sending it to floor with a snarl of surprise.

In one fluid motion, Paige leapt up from the ground and tossed another charging werewolf to the ground. More of them started to attack her, trying to get her in her blind spot or when she was busy with another. One eventually scratched her with its claws, leaving her with a gnarly flesh wound and a bloodstained pant sleeve.

Paige could feel herself beginning to slow, a sign that she wasn't going to keep up for much longer. As panic built up in her stomach, she chose to surrender.

She tossed the last charging werewolf into another but as another tried to rush her, she phased like a defence mechanism. She felt her blood boil and her bones turn to lead. Her ears grew longer and pointed while her nails grew into small daggers. Her teeth grew into what resembled a wolf's fangs and her eyes blazed golden.

With one deep breath, Paige let loose a horrible, ear-deafening roar that shook the forest. Trees trembled, birds flew away and the ground rattled below her. Anything that heard this roar made it their first priority to run from it. Terror was given a new name when faced with it.

Paige finally stopped, letting her burning vocal cords relax as the beasts shrunk away from her in fear. Their tails were tucked between their legs and they whimpered pathetically. She noticed this with a hint of pride as she panted for breath. They still knew who their Beta was and she wasn't going to let them forget it.

In a few moments, the beasts had ceased their whimpering but still kept a respectful distance from the panting girl. Paige could feel her body begin to shift back to normal, leaving her exhausted and wishing for rest. Instead of laying down, however, Paige reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small white handkerchief: A sign of surrender.

Tossing it to the nearest werewolf, she grinned and said, "You've all passed. Good job whelps."

Immediately, the wolves began to howl with joy. Paige smiled wearily at the happy beasts and sauntered passed them into the thickest part of the forest. The wolves followed her obediently and Paige could feel the buzz of energy that spread between the pack.

She led them towards an abandoned cave, she pointed and ordered, "Phase back and then change in there, ladies first. You have the rest of the week off. No training; you guys earned a break."

As she walked off towards the trail, she wondered if Mona would be waiting for her where she left her bike. Knowing Mona, she'd probably just come for a status report and leave for another sleepover at Hanna's.

Mona was something of an enigma, even to her own pack. They feared her, respect her, but no one really knew Mona outside of the pack. They knew she wasn't someone you'd want to cross, especially as the Alpha of fifteen or so werewolves. Even Paige, her Beta and second-in-command, didn't know the real Mona Vanderwaal. That honour went to Hanna Marin.

Hanna seemed to be the exact opposite of Mona; she was friendly, kind and had a witty sense of humour. She had been the perfect girl-next-door, the All-American beauty in plus size. Yet, after Hanna left Alison's circle of friends back in sophomore year, she and Mona had become inseparable. The two were polar opposites but they somehow fit like a crooked puzzle.

Then again, anyone Mona takes a liking to must be something special.

Paige had limped the whole way back because the lovely flesh wound that made her leg throb. The blood had stained her sweatpants but she was too exhausted to car. Training the whelps was both draining and exhilarating.

She focused on the sound of gravel crunching under her boots instead of the pain. She felt every uneven step and hissed whenever she stepped on larger rocks, which left her with a stinging pain in her thigh. Swim practice tomorrow would be a bitch.

It didn't take long for Paige to come to the clearing; she had walked on that path almost everyday for the past two years. And when she looked for her bike, she felt immensely smug when she found Mona's Rolls Royce parked next to it.

Did she know Mona, or did she know Mona?

Paige hobbled to the pretentiously well-kept car, knowing that Mona was probably sniggering inside because of her limp. She swung the door to the backseat open and slid in, back first. She pushed herself up using her upper body but froze when she saw who was sitting up front.

In the driver's seat sat Mona who, as usual, was filling her nails like it was an immensely important task. Next to her, however, sat Hanna Marin who wore an anxious expression and held a tray of medicinal items in her lap.

Paige, swallowing the scream that built up in her throat, breathed out, "What the hell."

"It's nice to see you too, Paige." Hanna murmured to herself as she gripped the tray until her knuckles turned white. Mona, upon seeing this, laid her own hand over Hanna's in encouragement.

With one last look at the blonde, Mona turned to face Paige and said, "She's here to help."

The way that Mona stared at her, the way that the city lights reflected in her eyes like stars in a honey-brown sky, made Paige's paranoia pause. Mona wasn't an idiot; she wouldn't risk revealing the pack's identity if she couldn't trust Hanna. And if Mona can trust her, Paige could as well.

Paige nodded and immediately winced when she realised that her wounded leg was beginning to throb and swell.

Hanna, having regained her speech, said, "I can help, if you want."

Obviously Paige wanted the help; her thigh was beginning to look like a deformed eggplant. So she swallowed her pride, nodded, and leaned back into the car door with closed eyes. She could hear Hanna rearranging herself and moving the medicine tray with her. When she opened her eyes, Hanna squeezed herself between the front seats and grabbed the tray out of Mona's helpful hands.

Paige hadn't expected Hanna to simply rip her stained pant sleeve open to inspect the wound. She gave the blonde an angry look and received a sarcastic smile, all the previous anxiety disappeared into the air.

"Don't give me that look, McCullers. They were ugly anyway." Hanna didn't look at her; instead she busied herself by inspecting wound and taking out antiseptic cream.

Paige rolled her eyes and as Hanna cleaned out the wound with a wet towel, she retorted, "I don't wear designer jeans when training giant wolves. Shocking, I know."

Instead of answering, Hanna smeared a generous blob of cream onto the flesh wound. Paige hissed in surprise and, once the cream settled in, in pain. It took only a moment for the cream to dissolve into the wound, leaving it dry and cleaner.

"You werewolves just eat this stuff up, don't you?" Hanna mumbled, not quite maliciously but still with sarcasm. Paige was too busy focusing on her breathing instead of the pain to respond. However, even with closed eyes, she just knew that Hanna was smirking at her small victory.

Hanna began to root through the medicine piled up on the tray. She quickly took out a small container of ointment, a surgical mask and a few Johnson's Buds from the tray. She slipped on the mask over her mouth and when she opened the container, the sweet tangerine smell made Mona and Paige freeze in fear.

Paige shrunk away from Hanna, pressing herself into the door and moaning, "Oh God, that's wolfsbane isn't it?"

The smell was intoxicating and she did everything in her power to hold her breath to stop from inhaling it. The memory of pain caused by the poisonous herb was enough to set her off. Even Mona was blocking her nose and looking anywhere but behind her.

Hanna huffed, pulled the mask away from face and set the ointment and buds on Paige's lap. The close proximity to the ointment and the way Hanna was glaring at her was enough to make her blood run cold.

"If you can't handle it, I'll just stitch this up without anaesthetic. Is that what you want? I thought you were supposed to be a werewolf?" Her words were taunting, mocking, challenging Paige to wimp out and suffer even more pain. She knew how competitive Paige was and was using that against her.

She was now beginning to see why Mona liked her so much. She was a wolf in a beauty queen's skin.

Paige swallowed thickly but complied, leaning back into the car seat and turning away from the sight in front of her. When she heard Hanna resume her work, she focused her attention on the swaying trees she could see from the rear window.

As she waited for the paste to applied, she wondered what the whelps were doing. She knew some of the rowdy ones would go out and celebrate. She also knew that the rowdy ones would somehow get the others to join in and there'd be a bunch of hyper teenagers roaming the forest tonight.

And it was as a faint smile drifted onto her face, Hanna swabbed a paste-covered bud over the wound. Her body suddenly felt like it was on fire and Paige bit her lip to keep from screaming. When she was about to break skin, she let go and began panting.

This went on for only a short while but to Paige it was a moment too long. As the wolfsbane ointment finally numbed her leg, she paled when she saw Hanna set the medicine aside and pulled out a suturing kit.

Mona, having seen Paige's eyes watching the suturing needle from her rear view mirror, asked, "How was training the whelps?"

Paige's gaze shifted to Mona's immediately and, judging by the hazy look in her eyes, had apparently forgotten she was still in the car.

"Do you see this?" Paige gestured to her dirty, glistening with sweat body with a small grin, adding, "You definitely trained them to fight like monsters."

Mona's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed as she asked, "So you passed them?"

Paige shrugged and ignored the surreal feeling of her numb, bleeding skin being cleaned and pulled. As a warm, proud smile grew on her face, she answered, "They have Toby's approval and now they have mine."

Toby Cavanaugh had actually been the first to be turned by Mona. Despite the fact that he was the oldest of the pack, Mona assumed the Alpha position unopposed with Paige as her Beta. Toby, being the mellow boy he was, accepted being the Delta, the third-in-command. He was the largest in the pack and rivalled pack on strength.

Mona, who tensed at his name, hummed with displeasure before saying, "It's a good thing the whelps don't graduate based on your soft resolve. I bet you and Toby didn't even try to defend yourselves."

Paige guffawed at this and disbelief was evident in her eyes, "Are you being serious? Mona, my bruises have bruises."

"Still, I'll have to see them for myself. You and Toby will come by next weekend and test them again, together. I judge them from there." This was not a request or a question; this was an order that Paige had to follow. Mona held Paige's gaze using the mirror and like usual, it wasn't too long before Paige gave in to her Alpha.

A particularly sharp tug on her skin snapped her out of her gaze. She yelped with surprise and hissed out, "Jesus, Hanna! Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

The blonde huffed at the accusation and while she cleaned up the blood dripping from the wound, she answered, "Of course I'm sure. I've been stitching up Mona for years now and you don't see a scar on her, do you?"

Judging by the way Hanna's hand stilled and her eyes grew wide with shock, Paige assumed she hadn't meant to say that. Mona grew rigid in her seat and refused to look at either girl, only adding more tension to the silence.

"Well that explains a lot." Paige mumbled with a mischievous grin as she remembered every odd look Hanna would give Mona when they talked about old scars. Apparently she wasn't just a concerned friend; she was a concerned nurse too.

"Shut up, Paige." Both girls hissed out, visibly flustered, which only made Paige's grin grow wider. Paige was going to say that maybe Hanna had seen some scared places that she hadn't, but stilled her tongue when Hanna flashed a murderous look in her eyes.

Mona sure knew how to pick 'em, didn't she?

The drive back from the woods had been filled with laughter, snide remarks and sarcastic banter. Mona and Hanna were surprisingly fond of each other, at least from what Paige saw. Mona was like a completely different person around Hanna: she had no walls, didn't talk in riddles and genuinely seemed invested in their conversations.

Paige could see why Hanna latched on to this side of Mona, the fun, genuine side.

She'd left her bike in Mona's garage and would come back for it tomorrow. She and Mona decided to sit on the porch of the Vanderwaal house and just talk for a while. As they listened to the sound of the warm wind howling, a large, toothy grin grew on Paige's face.

"So… you and Hanna-Banana?" She quipped, stealing a glance at Mona from the corner of her eye. Mona gave her an angry, confused look as she turned to face her.

" _Hanna-Banana_?" Mona asked, the disbelief clear in her eyes. Paige chuckled, smiling wider than before. Mona was obviously flustered and to Paige, this was rare sight.

"I heard Sean Ackard talking to her on the phone. They're just adorable, those two, don't you think so?" Paige continued to probe for answers, looking for something in Mona's eyes to tell her the truth.

Mona scoffed and flipped her hair over shoulder, haughtily saying, "Sean is a drooling puppy that Hanna only likes because he's available. The right guy will come along and sweep her off her feet, and Sean will just be a distant memory."

"Ouch." Paige said, still grinning, while rubbing her chest over her heart in mock sympathy. After a moment, she probed again, "Is it the right guy or the right _girl_?"

Mona shot her an unimpressed look and hissed out, "I don't like Hanna that way, Paige."

"Are you sure? I know you're bi and Hanna's easy on the eyes." Paige leaned back onto the railing, hands limp by her sides. She was leaning against the railing with her hurt leg supported on the porch floor, leaving her foot only inches away from Mona.

Mona had come out as bisexual during the mid-year break in her sophomore year. There was no middle ground in the reactions: either they had no idea or they called it from the beginning of freshman year. Either way, with Mona's popularity and a bunch of angry teenagers at her disposal, coming out was as easy as it could be for her. And she had settled into her sexuality nicely, unlike Paige had.

Mona scoffed, saying, "That doesn't mean I'll hit on anything that moves. You're gay, I don't see you hitting on me… And I'm gorgeous."

Paige's coming out, back in her freshman year, was not the best of memories. For one, she didn't come out willingly: she was outed by her bully to her father. Secondly, her father was a Catholic deacon and openly homophobic. And finally, her bully threatened to give her crush the love letters she wrote for her. The whole fiasco was emotionally damaging and she still has confidence issues because of it.

However, now in her Junior year, Paige was openly gay and her father was supportive of her. Her school was surprisingly accepting of her sexuality which came as a shock to Paige. Apparently people still had common sense.

"OK, fair point. I won't bring it up anymore but…" Paige had trailed, pretending to tap her chin in deep thought.

"But what?" Mona asked, growing increasingly tired of the conversation.

Paige grinned once more and continued, "If you two start going out, I get full bragging rights."

" _Ugh_. That will never happen so go ahead. Hanna and I are just friends."

Paige gave a lazy fist-bump in victory and the two shared a laugh, a genuine moment. If Hanna was able to leave such a positive, lasting affect on Mona by just talking to her, Paige was glad the two had become friends.

But the laughing slowly died down and the two were left with an uncomfortable silence. Both wanted to state the elephant in the room but only one wished the other wouldn't bring it up. Their stomachs churned with anticipation.

Finally, Mona breathed out, "She's coming back tomorrow."

Paige grew rigid and her jaw immediately clenched with anxiety. Just the thought of _her_ made Paige shrink away in fear and say, "Mona, don't."

"Are you going to be ready to face her?" Mona asked, feeling the absolute terror radiate from the tall girl. Mona found it ironic that Paige, the strongest member of the pack, was terrified of some girl. She didn't mention this, of course, because she knew why.

Paige, swallowing down the bile that rose in her throat, whispered, "I don't know."

Mona turned to face her, to glare at her as she ordered, "You have to be ready; don't think that Alison is just going to roll over and let you take her."

"Emily isn't a sack of potatoes I can just _take_ , Mona."

She hadn't said that name in more than a year. She knew that fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself, but Emily was so terrifying to her that she didn't think it was possible. Paige still woke up in a cold sweat at night because she saw _her_ eyes in her nightmares.

"And do you really think that Alison will suddenly have a change of heart and start treating people with respect? That she'll start concerning herself with people's _feelings_?" Mona was on a roll now and all Paige could do was listen as she continued, "She's already on thin ice because Hanna left her circle, now Emily. She won't touch a hair on Hanna's head but Emily… you screwed it up and now she's free game."

The nonchalance in Mona's tone was beginning to grate on Paige's nerves. The subject was uncomfortable enough; she didn't need Mona to make crappy jokes as well.

It was Paige's turn to glare as she bit back, saying, "I made a mistake, Mona. I didn't know she was a Hunter. How was I supposed to know that my crush was trained from birth to kill me?"

A Hunter. That's the reason why Emily left, why she couldn't even look Paige in the eye. She was born and raised to hunt people like Paige. To Emily, Paige died the moment the venom entered her bloodstream. To Emily, there was a monster going around wearing Paige's skin. To Emily, a monster was in love with her.

"Oh, stop with the sob story. If you really love Emily you'd prove to her that you're not a monster. That's what she thinks of you, you know. That's why she moved to Texas with her dad." Mona was harsh but that was the only kind of treatment Paige responded to.

In frustration, Paige snapped at Mona, "So what do you want me to tell her? _'Sorry for embracing my lycanthropy because I wanted to hurt Alison, your first love and my bully. I promise I won't turn you into a monster like me. Let's kiss and make up, honey-babe.'_ "

Mona couldn't help the laugh that slipped passed her lips, laughing even harder when she saw Paige's flustered face.

" _Honey-babe_?"

Paige shrugged and with a defeated expression, said, "It's the first thing that popped into my head."

Mona pretended to wipe a tear, mocking Paige once more, "I really hope you didn't put that in your love letters."

Paige groaned and let her head fall back onto the railing, saying, "I swear to God, I should never have told you about that."

These love letters were a three-inch stack of letters that Paige had sent to _'Emily'_ when she thought she had shown some sign of interest in Paige. It turned out that Emily had actually been Alison, and she had gathered enough embarrassing and blatantly homosexual evidence against Paige.

When Paige had found out about this, she became mad with the need to get the back. But Alison had other plans. She made a deal with Paige: either she gave the letters to Emily, Mr McCullers or it would be handed out to everyone at Rosewood High.

Paige chose her father and… well, you know the rest.

"I wonder if Alison still has them. Maybe she'll show them to Emily when she comes back." Mona said, half-serious. This was enough to silence Paige's laughter.

"Don't even joke about that." Paige warned her, wondering if maybe Mona had jinxed it now.

Mona stopped laughing as well, apparently not aware that Paige hadn't thought of this possibility, stating, "It's no joke; Alison will use whatever she can to make Emily avoid you."

"Shit…" Paige breathed out and suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe. The air was too warm, her body was to stiff, her lungs were too small. She would have thought that it was ironic that a swimmer couldn't control her breathing if she wasn't beginning to have a panic-attack.

Mona realised she had pushed this too far, upon seeing Paige hyperventilate and heard the warning bells go off. She quickly reassured her, "Then again, Alison probably won't get close enough to Emily to do that. The look on Emily's face when she outed you was down-right murderous."

Paige began to collect herself, finding an anchor in Mona's reassurance. Finally, she tried to joke once more, saying, "It couldn't have been worse than my Dad's reaction."

"He was just raised bigoted, Paige. Look how far he's come now." Mona had a soft for redeemed souls. She though she saw a bit of herself in them, or at least what she wanted to be.

Nick McCullers had not taken well to his daughter's sexuality. He couldn't believe that his daughter was gay; he couldn't wrap his head around the concept of it. He was hostile at first, which led to memories that Paige has long since buried in the darkest parts of her mind.

Paige forgave him, however, because beyond the homophobia, he was scared for her. He could see the hate and bigotry in the world and to have his daughter face that… He was an absolute mess, just like Paige had been. But, with time, Nick became the one of the supportive people in Paige's life. And for this, she thanks whatever bit of luck she has.

But him growing to accept her didn't change how crushed she was after Emily cut her off.

"Did you see the way she looked at me? If Alison was a cruel tyrant then I was the monster under her bed." Paige was on the verge of tears; every horrible thought she had about Emily's return was rushing to surface without restraint. "She hated me Mona… and she probably still does."

The porch light flickered on and off, a signal that meant that Mrs Vanderwaal wanted Mona in the house and for Paige to go home. Paige quickly dried her tears, feeling angry that she let herself cry about this: she though she was stronger than that.

"I guess you'll just have to wait till tomorrow then." Mona said as she pushed herself off the stairs and on her feet. "I'd tell you to get some sleep but I know you'll just stay up all night thinking about this."

Paige let out a weak laugh before grabbing the cane that Mrs Vanderwaal gave her. She felt a warm rush of gratitude for her as she used the cane to push herself up.

"Bye Mona." Paige called as she began walking back home. As she limped away, she listened to the click of Mona's heels on the porch floor abruptly.

"Goodbye Paige." She paused for a moment to listen to this because Mona whispered it so softly that if Paige wasn't a werewolf, she wouldn't have heard it. She sighed and with the weight of her world on her shoulders, she limped her way back home.

The McCullers house was quiet as Paige waddled in, making her the footsteps of her boot-clad feet sound louder than it was. The smell of burning firewood and warm milk flooded her senses. As she hurried into the house, throwing the keys onto the kitchen counter, she came across her father.

Nick McCullers, a surly man of almost 50, sat in the living by the fireplace in a well-loved armchair. He was reading an old book while toying with a generous glass of wine. He must have heard the keys hit the counter because his blue eyes focused on his daughter.

He went to say something but when he saw Paige's shredded pant sleeve and bandaged leg, his mouth was left hanging open. Paige quickly took a seat in one of the couches, set the cane on the table and propped her leg up.

After she took one long swig from the glass of milk she snagged from the counter, she said, "Don't worry Dad: Hanna already cleaned and stitched this up."

Nick set his book aside and turned to face Paige, asking with raised eyebrows, "Hanna? As in Hanna Marin? Ashley's girl?"

Melting into the warmth from the milk and the fire, Paige mumbled, "Yeah, that's the one. Why?"

"Nothing, it's just for as far back as I can remember, the Marin's were Hunter allies. Why the sudden change?" He asked, leaning back into his armchair.

Paige shrugged and answered as best she could, "Hanna left Alison's group last year and was basically neutral for the whole year. Mrs Marin was pretty adamant about her not being caught up in whatever mock-war Mona and Alison had going on."

Nick was well aware of the ongoing feud between Mona and Alison. While he preferred not to get hung up of the details, he knew that his daughter was a part of it. In his old age, he preferred to let the younger wolves deal with pack business.

But, with his curiosity peaked, he probed, "Well what changed?"

Paige scoffed and answered, "She became friends Mona."

He gave a throaty chuckle of his own, allowing his deep voice to boom through the room. It was a sound that always reminded Paige of home.

The two downed their beverages, all the while trying to out-do the other without letting them know. Of course it ended in a tie and left the two embarrassed for getting caught. The two laughed at their own competitiveness and as their laughter died down, Nick began clearing out the room.

He let Paige relax as he cleaned out the cups, set away the books and readied an ice pack. He dawdled back to the couch, lifted Paige's legs and sat on the now open seat. Laying them back down, he propped her legs onto his lap and set the ice pack on her wound.

To ease her mind off the cold, he asked, "So how was the test?"

"How do you think it went?" Paige gestured towards her thigh with an unimpressed expression.

Nick warned, "Watch the sass young lady."

Paige snickered but leaned back into the couch, recalling the memory with stars in her eyes, "It went… _amazing_ , Dad. They ran faster than the wind and you should have seen how terrifying they were. I was actually scared of them — me, their Beta. They looked like a real pack."

"And if you wanted," he pried, "they could be _your_ pack."

Paige, having heard this conversation multiple times since she first phased, knew it was best to just shut it down before it began, "I never wanted to be an Alpha. I'd never want to be responsible for so many lives."

"Paige, you were born to be an Alpha. You're a natural born leader; that alone should make you Alpha."

She groaned and countered, "I'm confident, yes, but I'm much better at bringing people together than ordering them around. Swim team captain will be good enough for me."

Nick knew a lost cause when he saw one so he let the subject drop, earning him a sigh of relief from his daughter. The two settled back into the couch as they watched the flames flicker. Paige, not quite feeling content, was wondering what was missing from this scene.

Realising what it was, Paige sat upright and asked, "Where's Eli?"

Nick scoffed and gestured to the grandfather clock, "In case you didn't notice, it's almost midnight, Paige. Some of us have a bedtime."

Eli was the youngest McCullers in Rosewood and according to him, the handsomest too. At the mighty age of twelve, Eli was at the peak of his childhood life and Paige envied his innocence. If there was anyone Paige loved more in the world than her father, it was Eli.

"Shit-," Paige breathed out and when Nick pulled her ear as a warning, she hissed out, "Ow, sorry."

"I tucked him into bed so don't just stomp by his room like usual." Nick mocked her with a slick grin.

Paige groaned and said, "I don't stomp, Dad."

The man laughed, saying, "Paige, even though you're a swimmer, you have all the grace of a headless chicken."

"My swimming style isn't about grace: the stronger the muscles, the more water I pull and the further my flips boost me." She waved a finger at her father, humour laced in her words, "If you want a graceful and fast swimmer than you should ask for Emily-"

Paige tried to pretend like she nothing just happened but her father wouldn't let it go. He could feel her freeze at the very mention of her name. He wasn't sure what to say; he never was good at heartfelt conversation.

"Paige…" He tried but Paige waved him off mirthlessly.

"I'm fine. I just have to wait for tomorrow and pray that she doesn't still hate me half as much as she did." Paige's voice was hollow yet full of hope, a paradox that Nick had grown accustomed to whenever the topic of the Fields girl came up.

Nick spoke more confidently this time, saying, "A year and a half is a long time, Paige. She's probably ready to bury the hatchet by now."

Paige scoffed and muttered, "Yeah: in my skull."

"You're such a pessimist, kid." He ruffled her hair and all he got was a few quiet chuckles, he sighed and said, "Just… get some rest, OK?"

"Yes, sir." She gave him a mock salute before grabbing the cane and trudging up the stairs. As she did, she watched her father's head fall into his hands and his back slump forward. She knew exactly why he was so exhausted and it left a bitter taste in mouth and a sharp pain in her chest. She couldn't watch him without wanting to scream so she left.

She snuck passed Eli's room and into hers, only to stumble onto an adorable sight.

On her double bed, her brother Eli laid curled up in the middle, hogging the blanket with one foot out. Eli was holding Neo, his Neo Mastiff puppy, in his arms and over the covers. Draped over him was Bunny, Paige's three-year-old English Mastiff, who was snoring louder than a lawnmower.

Upon hearing her, Bunny's head snapped towards the door before relaxing and wagging his tail. He didn't remove himself but Paige could tell he was happy to see her. Paige felt her heart swell when she realised that not only did Eli stay in her room to surprise her, but her dog had chose to watch over him as well.

She scratched Bunny's hip as she slipped off her boots and whispered, "Good boy."

She settled into bed next to Eli, not even bothering change out her clothes. Eli, having felt the bed dip, fluttered his eyes open.

"Paige?" He whispered and looked for her with half-open eyes, making his sister struggle not to laugh. His eyes, amber is colour, were full of sleep and there was drool on the sheets and across his cheek. His brown hair stuck out in every direction. The freckles on his dark skin only made him look wilder.

She placed the sleeping puppy on her stomach and pulled Eli to her side, almost on instinct, all the while whispering, "Right here, kid."

He snuggled into her side and just before sleep consumed him, asked, "Did you win?"

She chuckled softly and said, "Yeah, kid, we won."

As his head lolled against her chest, Paige thought about tomorrow. Underneath the puppy on her stomach, laid thousands of butterflies threatening to break free. She kept thinking the worse possible scenarios, talked herself out of that and then repeated the process.

And as sleep finally consumed her, her last thought was of Emily Fields; that girl would be the death of her whether she was there or not.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N: I really have to apologise for the time it took to write this. I've been caught up with school stuff. Either way, I hope this was worth the wait. Enjoy.**

* * *

Paige woke up the next morning clutching her stomach in pain. The reason for this is because of the freckled boy who decided that hitting her in the stomach with a pillow was the best method to wake her up. Before she could grab the little tyke, he shot off down the hall, giggling all the way.

With a groan, she shoved the blankets off and swayed her way to the bathroom. The reality of her situation only hit her when she stuck the toothbrush in her mouth.

Today was the day she'd meet Emily Fields in almost a year and a half.

After she recovered from choking on toothpaste, she looked in the mirror and suddenly felt very inadequate. Her eyes had dark bags under them, which made them clash with the pale skin it marked. Her hair was cornrowed on one side (courtesy of the swim team's after party) but limp and tangled on the other. She also was very dirty from rolling around in the forest last night.

Is this how she wanted Emily to see her after so long? Judging by the way she spent almost ten minutes extra in the shower, scrubbing at every strand with conditioner, the answer is no.

Paige, now cleaned until her skin nearly shined, stood in front of her wardrobe and felt her gut sink. She wanted to impress Emily but she didn't want her to think she was desperate. How was she going to find an outfit that says: I want to look hot but in the disheveled, "Oh-I-didn't-see-you-there," kind of way?

She slapped a hand to her forehead, groaning at how frustrating it was to find one, simple outfit. After ten minutes of internal screaming and debate, she opted to wear a white shirt, black jeans, boots and her old bombers jacket. The only way she could look more gay is if she used a rainbow flag as a belt.

She hobbled downstairs with butterflies swimming around in her guts, only to find all the McCullers family in the kitchen.

Nick was enjoying his breakfast at the dining table while reading the morning news. He must have been in the cartoon section because he suddenly let out his booming laugh, scaring Eli. The boy was washing the dishes with a piece of iron wool while shifting from side to side in frustration. Apparently, the preteen was in a rush and was taking his anger out on the wool.

Toby Cavanaugh, the honorary member of the McCullers family, was packing up his tools into its case. Now enjoying his life as a nineteen-year-old, Toby is an apprenticed carpenter and has been surprising successful in his career.

He heard her heavy footfalls and snapped his gaze to her, breaking out into a grin. Said grin quickly turned smug when he saw her disheveled yet panicked appearance.

He secured the tool belt to his waist and said, "Morning sunshine."

She groaned at his loud voice and as she plopped down onto the couch, she muttered, "Go to hell, Cavanaugh."

Ignoring Toby's laughter, she turned to the other men of the house, "Morning, Dad"

Nick made a sort of grunting sound and ordered, "Go help your brother with the dishes."

Paige, being in no position to argue, marched over to the kitchen sink and bumped her hip against her brother's shoulder. Her dropped the dish he was cleaning into the murky dishwater and turned to glare at her.

A grin grew on her face as she looked down at the boy, saying, "That's for this morning, _squirt_."

Eli sneered up at her and replied, "I'm going to grow soon, just you watch. I'll be _way_ stronger too."

A loud, throaty chuckle left her lips and when she pulled her wet hands out of the water, ruffling his hair, she said, "And I'll still kick your butt, _squirt_."

Eli groaned in frustration and threw the iron wool at her, ignoring his now damp hair that clung to his forehead. She dodged the flying menace smoothly and flicked dishwater at him. They only stop their water war when a loud groan comes from their father.

Nick leans his head back against the couch as he pleads, "Children, _please_ , it is seven in the morning. I haven't had my second cup of coffee yet."

The siblings resume their cleaning as Paige asks, "Second? Didn't Dr. Monroe put you on a no-caffeine diet?"

Nick makes a strange hand gesture and replies, "The woman doesn't know what she'd talking about."

Both brother and sister look at each other and rolls their eyes at their addict of a father. Paige says, "Uh-huh, I'm sure the woman with the PhD has no idea about the effects of caffeine on the body."

"I didn't raise you with this sass, young lady."

"Guys," Eli shoves the clean plates into their drawers and says," I'm gonna be late! Can we go now?"

A lightbulb goes off in Paige's mind as she remembers that her demon of a brother has no school today and is staying over at a friends' house. She slaps a hand to her forehead, only realise it's wet with dishwater. She dries it off and recoils when she recognises it as the rag she washed the dishes with. She ignores Eli's muffled snickers as she drags her sleeve across her forehead.

"God you're so cranky in the morning!" She mutters to herself before marching to the front door, "C'mon, let's go."

As Paige says her goodbyes and Eli trails behind her with a backpack full of games and controllers, Toby hops up from his seat and says, "I'll go too: my boss told me to come an hour later, anyway."

Eli pushes the two out of the house, and a small grin grows on Paige's face as she slows down. She pushes back against Eli's noodle arms, saying, "I suddenly can't move my legs."

Toby follows her and as the two lean back against the struggling boy, Eli whines, " _Paige_. _Toby_. You guys are such jerks!"

They finally shove themselves into Nick's shiny, white SUV, with Toby behind the wheel, Paige riding shotgun and Eli at the back. Eli, still scowling in irritation, plugs his ear phones in and drowns out the two teenagers.

Just as Paige leaned her head back and tried to get some sleep, Toby pipes up, asking, "So how were they?"

She wants to groan for being kept awake but she remembers the night before and a fond grin grows on her face. A warm feeling swells in her chest and she answers with pride, "Amazing, actually. I ended up passing them."

Toby whistles at this and adds, "I'm guessing Mona didn't take that well."

With the lopsided grin still rooted in her face, she says, "I'm sure she would have done worse if Hanna wasn't in the car."

Paige wasn't expecting Toby's reaction as he swerves the car. The jolt throws the passengers forward, only to be held back by their seat belts. Eli hardly even noticed but Paige turns to glare at Toby.

Upon seeing his ludicrous expression, she realises that Toby didn't know that and that Mona was going to kill her for spilling.

"What the hell?" Toby says, ignoring the various cars honking him.

"Mona brought her along for medical help. It turns out that she and Hanna have been sharing more than just outfits. She knows about us." Paige stops for a moment, letting her words sink in. Toby, although conflicted, doesn't seem opposed to Hanna knowing about their little secret.

"Apparently the Marins aren't as neutral as we thought." Paige mutters while fiddling with her fingers anxiously.

For a moment, Toby says nothing and simply focuses on the road. Then, he flickers his gaze to Paige and asks, "Can we trust her?"

"Yeah, she's cool." Paige waves him off, thankful that he's on board with the 'Vandermarin' situation. She lifts up her pant sleeve and puts her foot on the dashboard, exposing the now healed wound, saying, "She sutured my leg pretty well. You can hardly see the scar."

Toby shrugs and says, "Get your dirty shoes off the dash; your Dad will kill me if I get mud in his car."

"Excuse you, my shoes are brand new."

"Oh, really?" As a slick grin appears on his face, Paige realises that she said too much, "Any particular reason you unboxed the Timberlands your Great Aunt bought you for Christmas?"

Between the smug tone of his voice and the impish glint in his eyes, Paige knew that someone tipped him off about Emily. She was hoping that she wouldn't have to think of this situation until much later in the day. Apparently, Toby had other ideas.

" _Ugh_ , who told you?" She groans.

"Emily is my friend, Paige. She and I have been skyping for ages now." Toby answers and tries to hide an eye roll. He personally thought that the two were just being stubborn and playing the victim but he wasn't about to say that to Paige. He knows that this whole situation was a no-go zone for her.

He wasn't lying, however. Emily hadn't cut ties with everyone before she left Rosewood. He was one of the lucky ones that escaped the force of nature known as Emily Fields.

"I still find it really hypocritical that she'll talk to you and not me." Toby could almost taste the bitterness in Paige's voice.

Playing the devil's advocate, he reasoned, "Different circumstances Paige, you know that. You were her girlfriend _and_ you're a purebred. That's just rubbing salt into the wound."

Paige knew that this was true but she wouldn't admit this. She was a McCullers girl, through and through, meaning she was prideful and stubborn. And as for the purebred thing, Paige wanted to argue that that was out of her control: how is it her fault that she was born a monster?

Just as she opened her mouth to argue, Toby asked, "Besides, would you even talk to her if she asked?"

This shut her up, leaving her clenching her jaw as bile rose in her throat at the thought of talking to Emily. She swallowed down the bitter taste and said, "No, I wouldn't."

Toby saw the dark look that Paige wore and quickly joked, "Gutless."

She could hide her smile and said, "Shut up, Cavanaugh."

Toby's booming laughter was the only sound to be heard in the silence, a welcome change for Paige.

* * *

The Rosewood High locker rooms were always cold, no matter what season it was in Pennsylvania. Meaning that the moment Paige opened the doors to said locker room, she left the winter snow and was embraced in bone-chilling cold.

Paige, who had made it a habit to come to school early and pump out a few laps, dreaded the cold. The winter season was like a frozen hell to her kind. As a werewolf, she was hypersensitive to anything cold. Apparently, this included the icy glares she received upon entering the locker room.

Her teammates were watching at her, some with sympathy, others with curiosity. She could feel the rumour mill come to a halt as she stood there. The familiar prickle of vulnerability coursed through Paige: It was as if she had returned to her fourteen-year-old self, bright-eyed and naively wanting to make friends.

However, Paige had long since dealt with these feelings and knew how to push them back down.

She steeled her gaze and sauntered to her locker, finally letting herself fall into a calming pattern. As she opened her locker, she pretended not to notice the swimmers dispersing and changing conversation topics.

Paige reached into her locker and sighed, feeling the texture of her swim cap and the scent of chlorine. It smelled like home to her.

As she peeled her clothes off, Paige heard the whispering with clarity. She pieced bits of information together and figured out that Emily had been there, in the locker room, talking with Coach Fulton. Apparently Emily was planning on rejoining the swim team this semester.

The thought that Emily Fields had probably stood where Paige stood, her infectious warmth had touched the ground, was enough for Paige's heart to stop. Even more so when she realised that Emily would likely get a spot on team, meaning they'd be near each other almost every other day.

She could feel the anxiety flood back into her system and it wasn't long before she was racing towards the pool. She slipped into the warm embrace of the pool, drowning out the whispers. There was something about a silence that comes with swimming that Paige finds comforting.

But apparently this comfort wasn't enough to quell the bundle of nerves that pooled in her stomach. Paige pushed through the water like a jet but couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible was happening.

And these nerves apparently showed because when Paige's hour was up, she was being pulled aside by Coach Fulton into her office.

"Paige, what was that?" The woman asked, concern etched into her face.

"What was what?"

Coach Fulton, not looking impressed, said, "Don't play dumb Paige. Your times were all-over the place today."

Paige meekly shrugged, saying, "Sorry, I have some stuff on my mind."

One eyebrow darted up on Fulton's face, "Like what?"

"Nothing." Paige immediately muttered, feeling the blush flood her face. She felt like a child getting scolded for breaking a toy, not a young adult getting advice.

The seconds ticked on and as Paige watched her pool-water soaked swimsuit drip onto the floor, she asked, "Can I go now? I'm dripping on your carpet."

True enough, there was a puddle around Paige that was growing denser and bigger as time went on. Fulton sighed at this and waved her off, leaning back into her desk. Just as Paige was scurrying off, Fulton had a change of heart.

"Paige." Fulton calls out for her, waiting for Paige to turn around before continuing, asked, "Is this about Emily?"

Paige was frozen at the doorway, feeling very betrayed and bewildered. Previous to this conversation, she thought that she and Emily had been very slick with the secrecy of their relationship. If someone like Coach Fulton knew, then how many others did too?

"How do you even know about us?" Paige asked, not even bothering to school her looks.

Fulton smirked and scoffed, saying, "I am surrounded by gossiping teenage girls all week; do you really think I wouldn't listen to what they say?"

It's a valid response but it doesn't ease Paige's mind at all. A thousand thoughts flew through Paige's mind before Fulton decides to speak up.

"You can go Paige. Just now I'm here for you, OK?" The Coach had this warm smile on her face that made Paige believe her, something she hadn't done in a long time.

"Yeah, I got it." Paige whispers before rushing back to the locker room.

Maybe the Emily situation is going to be horrible, but to know that Coach Fulton, a woman who previously found Paige to be a nuisance for her homophobia, now had her back: Paige felt a warmth pool inside her stomach and a smile grew on her face.

* * *

Paige had succeeded in dodging Emily for the entire day, until lunch came around. Paige just knew that she'd catch her in the cafeteria, where everyone could see. That thought alone had Paige in knots, regardless of the other nagging thoughts that swam around in her mind.

Mona, after slapping Paige's shaking leg, glared at the girl.

"The hell is your problem?" Paige bit out, having lost her sense of tack, as she absentmindedly rubbed her leg.

"You look pathetic." Mona answered, blunt as ever, "Is this how my Beta is going to act in front of the pack? Like some lovesick fool who's scared of her own shadow?"

Paige snapped her head to the side and caught a few younger members of the pack watching her. Red faced, she said, "That's not-"

"Yes, it is, that is _exactly_ what you look like."

Paige was about to come up with a retort when the doors to the cafeteria swung open. That sound and the familiar, almost nostalgic scent of lavender made Paige's blood run cold. She suddenly couldn't find her voice, as if all the air in her lungs had disappear.

Emily Fields was almost twenty feet behind her and Paige was not ready.

She didn't dare turn around, lest she find Emily looking for her. Instead she clenched her fist and counted to ten, watching the blood leave her knuckles.

"There she is." Mona's voice sounded louder than it was to Paige, considering her werewolf senses were spiking, "Can you handle this?"

Amongst the many students, Paige could only lock on to one scent that was clogging up her mind. She feared that if she stayed there any longer, she lose the control that took months to build. So for her sake only, she said, "No."

As fast as humanly possible, Paige rushed out of that cafeteria and tore down the hallways. Years of walking those halls gave her a sense of familiarity and soon, she found herself barging into the locker rooms. She stumbles passed the lockers and towards the sinks, suddenly feeling light headed.

She grips the metal sink to anchor herself, and suddenly the room becomes too small and too hot. Paige throws her jacket off before dousing her face in cold water. Neither of them help.

"Paige." One word and suddenly, Paige is still. She doesn't feel hot, stressed, guilty, nothing. She only thing she can feel or hear is Emily Fields.

She doesn't know why she didn't sense her coming, or why she didn't choose a better hiding place. All she knows is that Emily came to her.

The silence is too loud now; it leaves Paige breathing louder just to calm it down. She doesn't know what to feel, or what she should be feeling. There are so many questions she has and none of them will be easy to ask.

Once more, the voice as smooth as velvet says, "Paige?"

"Well are you going to say something or are you just going to keep calling my name?" Paige doesn't know why she is so angry now; she had accept Emily's break up when it happened. So why did she feel so bitter and betrayed now?

"Excuse me?" Emily is angry now, Paige can feel it in her voice. It gives Paige some sick satisfaction, that she can get a rise out of her this way. She wants to know she can make Emily feel _something_.

Paige turns to face her and almost stops feeling so angry because Emily just looks that beautiful.

She had seen Emily almost two years ago, but she had somehow become even more beautiful. She was taller now, a good few inches above Paige. Her skin was bronzed, a trophy from living in Western Australia for so long. She grew her hair out, even dying it lighter at the bottom. And despite the obvious anger she was feeling, she still had those warm, honey eyes that Paige fell for in the first place.

"You came to me Emily. Or do you just hang out in locker rooms now?" Paige watched with a smirk as a murderous glint passed Emily's eyes.

"I did follow you, Paige." Emily bit back, crossing her arms now, "I'm just trying to figure out why you're so angry?"

Like the straw on the proverbial camel's back, Paige let every angry thought go, "Why _I'm_ angry? _Me_? Let me tell you why: I'm angry because my girlfriend broke up with me because she thinks I'm a monster. Because I had deal with being a freak alone. Because said girlfriend dumped me like I was nothing. Because this is the first time I've heard or seen you in two years and _you ask me why I'm angry_."

Paige is breathing heavily by the end of her rant, and she waits for Emily to answer. She waits for her anger to matched once more, in a fight that was become too familiar for discomfort.

"Compared to me, you have no right to be angry. I was born and raised to kill people like you. I've heard stories about how your kind seduces people and then kills them. How do you think I felt when you told me that you were one of them?"

Paige, although rife with rage, has the decency to look down in guilt. She knew she put Emily in a difficult position and that Emily had every right to be angry. But she wasn't about to admit that to her.

Emily's eyes grew softer now, and Paige remembers how easily she fell in love with them, "I never dumped you like you were nothing, Paige. I was scared of you and didn't feel safe with you."

Paige laughs bitterly and without mirth, before asking "Then why are you here now? Aren't you scared that I'm going to 'seduce and kill you'?"

And just like that, Emily looks ready to kill Paige as she snarls, "You don't get to play the victim here Paige! We were both hurt because of what _you_ did!"

"You're right. Emily, this is my fault. It's my fault I was born a monster." Paige knows this is pitiful but she can't find a reason to care at this point.

"That's not fair Paige. You went to Mona and _asked_ her turn you. I might have understood if you turned naturally."

"Because of Alison. Because I was scared of her — everyone one was. Did you forget the fact that she bullied almost everyone at school — that she outed me?"

Emily huffs and says, "You know that I stopped being friends with Alison because of that."

"And what good did that do? My Dad still found out and when I needed you, you didn't help me." Paige is back to yelling now, because the moment she stops feeling angry, she starts feeling guilty.

"I was scared Paige!" Paige almost stops when she hears the crack in Emily's voice.

"So was I! But I didn't run away from my problems."

"That's why I'm here Paige." Emily takes a step forward and Paige has the overwhelming urge to run away, "I'm not running anymore."

Paige takes a step back and swallows the lump in her throat, asking, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm sorry Paige. I'm sorry that I didn't trust you. I'm sorry I ran away. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you. You aren't a monster, I just messed up."

The silence is back again, and Paige wants nothing more than to hold Emily, to pretend like they never fought. To pretend they were just two normal, human girlfriends that loved each other and were brave from the beginning.

But they aren't; they're two teenagers from opposing factions who were destined to hate each other. But they loved each other and they both just messed up.

So Paige, feeling washed out and tired, said, "…No."

For a moment, Paige could feel Emily's anger and fear flare up before she asked, "What?"

"I mean no. This isn't your fault. I was the one to ask Mona to turn me. I started this mess in the first place. I just pulled you along and hoped for a miracle."

The two stood in silence for a while, not thinking, not feeling, just being. And suddenly, Paige begins laughing at the sheer stupidity of both of them. Emily gives her an odd look but smiles. Paige feels her heart swell at the sight of that smile.

"Why were we even fighting then?" Paige asks, and watches as Emily begins to laugh. The sound reminds Paige of small, silver bells. She had never heard something as lovely as that.

Emily smiles at her and says, "That's just what we do, Paige."

The two laugh once more and for the first time in almost two years, Paige feels a weight lift off of her shoulders.

"I don't think that anyone would have thought that a Hunter would fall for a wolf." Emily muses, her eyes twinkling under the sunlight.

"Trust me, I'm the one still in love and I still can't believe my luck."

When the two realise what Paige has said, an almost tense silence settles over them. Emily goes to say something and Paige isn't sure she wants to hear it. She doesn't have to find out, however, when Paige spots a head of blonde hair.

"Emily?" The voice that unmistakably belongs to Alison, echoes through the locker room.

A chill runs down Paige's spine and before Emily can say a word, Paige is out the door and fleeing the scene.

* * *

Paige drops herself into the seat next to Mona and immediately shoves her now cold fries into her mouth. She eats when she's stressed, which is almost every time Emily is mentioned.

Mona files her nails beside her and casually asks, "So how did it go?"

Paige suddenly recalls her time with Emily and nearly melts in her seat as she sighs, "Better than I thought."

"Speaking of which," Paige elbows Mona in the side, "thanks for stopping Emily from following me."

Mona shrugs and defends herself, "You can't keep avoiding her. This talk was good for the both of you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Paige is too content to argue and she definitely isn't ready to mention Alison in front of Mona. She still remembers Mona playing darts with Alison's photo as the target.

"Change of topic," Mona begins as she scrolls through her phone, "Hanna wants to know about the cut."

Paige grins, "Tell her she did a great job. You can hardly see the scar."

"Good, then you should be fine to come to the final test of Friday." Mona grins in her own sinister way, "The whelps are in for a great time."

Paige grimaces as she remembers her own whelp days, back when she was being initiated into the pack. Her initiation revolved around lots of bears and that's all Paige will say about it.

"Oh, crap, I forgot." Paige slaps a hand to her head, "I have a meet of Friday. I can't make it; they say there are going to be scouts there."

Mona, although displeased, casually says, "It's fine; I'll just use Toby as protection against handfuls of savage beasts."

"Mona."

"T'was a joke, Paige."

Paige rolls her eyes but says nothing. Instead, she goes back to eating cold fries and watching the crowd. Emily and Alison haven't returned from the locker room, a fact that Paige ignores completely lest the green eyed monster creeps up on her.

As she scans the crowd, she does a double take when she spots Hanna sitting with Caleb Rivers, local recluse and shifty-white-boy.

After Paige chokes down a mouthful of fries, she turns to Mona and asks, "Since when are they hanging out?"

Mona looks in their direction and scoffs haughtily, "Please, Caleb Rivers is harmless."

"Are you sure?" Paige asks, watching as Caleb moves in just a little closer to Hanna, "He seems pretty interested."

"It doesn't matter if he's interested, Hanna is dating Sean, remember? The one Lucas called a St. Bernard." Mona almost giggles at this.

"Whatever, you should keep an eye on him."

Mona dismisses her with a flick of her wrist but pauses for a moment, staring at Paige.

"What?" Paige asks, frowning and rubbing her neck awkwardly.

"Where's your jacket?"

"…Goddammit."


	3. Chapter 3

It was Tuesday afternoon when Paige finally woke up. The room smelled distinctly like dog and when Paige looked up, she realised why.

Most people would notice if an eighty kilogram mastiff had made its home on their chest. Most people wouldn't have been able to smell the drool if they weren't right next to it. Most people shouldn't be able to hear a prepubescent boy marching around downstairs by the clink of his lacrosse stick. However, Paige McCullers isn't most people.

With a tired groan, she shoved Bunny off of her chest and tore the covers off, effectively waking him up. Grimacing at the drool on her stomach and at the stiffness in her bones, she rushed over to the bathroom to shower.

A while later, she jogs downstairs to find Eli decked out in lacrosse gear, helmet and stick in hand. His hair stuck out in all directions and Paige thought he looked like a hedgehog.

"You look like a hedgehog." She says, possessing no brain-to-mouth filter. Eli jumps in his seat, dropping his helmet to the ground.

"Well, finally," Eli snaps, running his fingers through his hair, "I thought I'd have to drag you out of bed."

Paige scoffs, "If you did, I'd throw you into the pool, _with_ your gear."

"Dad would kill you." Eli crosses his arms over his chest, smirking. Paige's heart clenched; he had the same smile as her father.

Paige pretended to ponder his statement, saying, "You're right; throwing shit in the pool would be bad."

She dodged the lacrosse stick with ease and laughed at her baby brother's anger. A small vein was protruding from his forehead which only served to make her laugh harder. A soft knock echoes throughout the house, ceasing all sound.

Eli rushes over to the door, probably hoping to show off his new gear. Paige bends down to Bunny, who had apparently snuck up on her, and begins tying his leash. Paige almost tuned out of the conversation at the door when she heard something familiar. Just as the leash's lock clicked into place, Paige's hand stilled with shock.

She rushed over and, to her horror, finds Emily standing at her door.

Emily hadn't noticed her yet; in fact, she seemed fascinated with Eli. Emily watched him as he spoke like someone watching a tornado take down their home; they feel too much at once but can't look away.

Paige tried to walk casually towards them but almost ended up tripping over air. Emily, having saw her coming, immediately looked up at her.

"Paige." She sounded relieved and something fluttered in the pit of Paige's stomach. She swallowed thickly, hoping it would just leave.

"Hey, Emily." It sounded so awkward and forced, like Paige didn't know who she was. Emily seemed to recoil at this and Paige felt mortified. Why couldn't Emily ever see her when she's cool and collected?

Eli, having enough of just looking between the two, asked Paige, "You know her?"

 _You're damn right I do,_ is what Paige wanted to say. Instead, she stumbled out the words, "Yeah. From like, school."

She could tell he knew something was up but instead of prying he just said, "Cool, introduce me."

"Oh right!" Paige nearly smacked a hand to her forehead, "Eli, this is Emily Fields. Emily, this is Eli… my brother."

Something flickered in Emily's eyes but Paige didn't know what it was. She didn't want to either. What was Emily supposed to say to that?

It looked as if Emily was about to say something but it never came out. The reason for this came charging down the hall and pounced up to greet Emily with a fat, slobbery kiss.

"Eww!" Emily cried as she pushed Bunny off her shoulders, although there was a hint of a smile on her face, "Down boy!"

Paige rushed over and yanked the big brute off of her, apologising profusely as she did so. Eli was too busy laughing to help. When Paige glared at him, he stumbled down the hall, mumbling about getting a wet cloth for Emily.

"I'm so sorry; he never does this." Paige was absolutely mortified. So much for cool and collected, yeah?

Thankfully, Emily waved her off and began playing with Bunny, saying, "It's fine. He's just happy to see me, aren't you boy?"

Bunny barked at her. Paige hadn't even noticed Eli walking back and handing a wet cloth to Emily. She thanked him and wiped the long trail of drool off her cheek.

"Look, this was great and all," Eli says, "but I'm going to be late for lacrosse if we don't go right now."

Paige wished Eli never gained his father's bluntness because of the darkened look on Emily's face. Couldn't he have said that any other way?

"Sorry," Emily says, "I was just planning on dropping this off."

She holds her arm out and for the first time, Paige notices a jacket in her hand. Not just any jacket; it's the same one she left yesterday at school.

"Wow, thanks Em." Paige said and gingerly took the jacket from her, careful not to touch her hand. She would have never thought Emily would come drop this off; she had thought she'd have to sort through the lost-and-found the next day to find it.

They stood there, awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Finally, Emily piped up.

"Maybe I could go with you?" She asked, nervously playing with her hands, "I wanted to talk. We didn't really get a chance yesterday; all those interruptions."

Normally, Paige would have refused. Alone with Emily Fields? That has never proven safe for Paige. But there was something about the way Emily referred to Alison as an _interruption_ that made Paige's heart swell with pride.

"Yeah, sure. Of course," Paige mumbled but managed to smile awkwardly and say, "but you're walking Bunny."

* * *

Eli McCullers can prove to be a fine source of embarrassment. Throughout the entire ride to Rosewood Elementary, he found someway to make the most out of their obvious tension.

He repeatedly asked what the real relationship between the two girls was. Paige was about ready to beat to him with his own stick. Emily, thankfully, breezed passed his questions. If it hadn't been for her, he would known about them for sure.

Needless to say, the boy was all but kicked out of the car.

And somehow, Paige and Emily ended up wandering the woods with Bunny faithfully watching over them. The forest is thriving with life at this time of day; Paige can hears birds chirping, animals scurrying across the snow, even the trees were rustling lightly in the breeze. It was a winter wonderland.

So far, the conversation had been about nothing important. Paige can barely remember what Emily told her. Something about her wanting to rejoin the Sharks this year or something.

She wants to focus but every negative possibility is running through mind. For example, she thinks she might say something, mess up and Emily will leave, forever angry at her. Again.

"So Eli?" Paige had been waiting for that question.

"What about him?"

Emily huffs, stops and puts her hands on her hips. Paige stops too but avoids Emily's eyes as she watches Bunny trot around.

"We dated for almost a year Paige. How did I not know you had a younger brother?"

Paige scoffs, "We dated in _secret_ , Emily. I wasn't about to introduce you to my entire family."

"But you never mentioned him. Not once, Paige."

Paige loses it, saying, "Maybe because I wasn't ready to show you how fucked up my family is! Did you ever think of that, Emily?"

Emily stares her down, not scared in the slightest, "Adoption isn't bad Paige. It's a very valid choice for any couple."

"Eli was a bandaid baby, Emily!" Paige hisses, "The innocent glue that my parents thought would fix their marriage! To fix the hole that my disease caused. The same disease that you left me for!"

Emily is quiet now. She looks like she drowning in her own guilt, like she wished she never said anything. But Paige, who had never told this story to anyone, was passed caring.

"And big surprise, another baby didn't fix their marriage. I mean if it did, it wouldn't explain why I haven't seen my Mum in five _fucking_ years! It wouldn't explain why Eli still has nightmares about the fights my parents used to have!

"It wouldn't explain why that bitch took our money and left her kids because one of them was a monster!"

Tears pricked the back of her eyes. Paige bit down on her lip, refusing to cry. She never cried; not since her mother left.

Right now, Paige hates herself for getting so worked up. There was just something about Emily that could get her so riled up like no one else.

"Paige?" Emily's voice is so soft that Paige almost thinks she imagined it, if it hadn't been for the hand on her bare shoulder. It's warm, boiling, in fact. Paige swears she heard steam hiss next to her ear before Emily recoiled.

"Jesus Paige!" Emily hisses, rubbing her hands together to get warmth back into them. "You feel like ice."

Paige sheepishly says, "Sorry. It's a werewolf thing."

 _Y'know_ , Paige thinks to herself, _this foot-in-mouth disease is really screwing me up._

Simply the word _werewolf_ is enough to cause another wave of tension to wash over them. Paige wishes she hadn't said anything at all, especially when she could see Emily tense up. Her shoulders and back became rigid, her hands flexed, her eyes dilated and she chewed her bottom lip.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up. Either of them."

Finally, Emily loosened up and smiled slightly. Relief spread through Paige like a warm drink.

"It's fine, Paige," Emily says, "I'm sure all Alphas like to brag about their packs."

"Beta." Paige says, going back to trudging through the snow.

Emily's eyebrows shoot up and she know she's silently asking a question.

"Mona is my Alpha, along with more than a dozen others. I'm her Beta, the second-in-command."

"Mona?" Emily asks, furrowing her brows together.

"I never wanted to position. Too much power and responsibility for someone who sometimes forgets what day of the week it is." Paige jokes. "Besides, Mona is a born-leader."

At first Paige thinks she said something wrong. Emily is strolling beside her but she isn't saying anything. Finally, she looks forwards and asks, "So who's the Omega of your pack?"

Paige stops in her tracks. "What?"

Emily gives her a weird look, "Your Omega. Y'know, the lowest member of the pack."

Paige can't hold in the laughter bubbling in her stomach. She nearly tumbles over as she struggles to find air to breathe.

Emily looks down-right furious when Paige looks up at her. She knows she hates it when people laugh at her.

"What's so funny, McCullers?"

"I'm sorry, it's just… well, for an order that specialises in the slaughter of werewolves, you sure know nothing about us." Paige can feel the tears stinging her eyes, "It's like you got all of your information from those awful Twilight books."

Emily huffs out, "Then why don't you explain it?"

"Well, for one, an Omega is an outcast. They are the weakest _because_ they have no pack. Werewolves that belong to a pack but fulfil no real rank are called Subordinates. Above them is the Delta, the third-in-command. Then comes the Beta, lead by a lone Alpha."

Paige manages to get all this out without stuttering which she finds to be an incredible feat. The way Emily's eyes seem to be staring right in Paige's soul is unnerving.

"So what's the difference? Between a Beta and Delta, I mean." Emily asks.

"Well, besides the basic rank, Beta are like the glue to the pack. Sure an Alpha can lead any werewolf, but who's going to make sure they stick around? We strengthen loose ties in a pack. Deltas are more tough love; they'd whip the Subordinates into shape, whether they like it or not."

"So," Emily pries, "who's your pack's Delta?"

"I'm surprise he didn't tell you himself." Paige says, although a little anger is laced in her tone, "You've Skyped him for the majority of your time away from home."

Emily's mouth hangs open in shock and Paige does a mental fist pump. She finally gave Emily a taste of her own medicine.

"Toby?" She says and when Paige nods she continues, "I knew the Cavanaughs were one of you but I assumed… Oh, he is going to get it from me!"

Paige recoils at the ferocity in Emily's voice and she quickly calms her down, "Please don't say anything to him. I wasn't even supposed to be talking about the pack with you, never mind outing them."

A dark look passes over Emily's face as she mutters, "You should really watch who you give these secrets out to Paige. Who knows what they'll do with them."

All Paige can hear is the beating of her own heart. What did Emily mean by that?

Suddenly, Emily laughs and smacks Paige's shoulder, "I'm just kidding, you dork. I won't tell a soul."

For some reason, a sickening voice at the back of Paige's mind whispers, _Don't trust her. She's lying through her teeth._ And Paige finds herself believing this voice, if only for a moment.

She doesn't have time to think about this as thunder booms overhead. The girls look up in surprise; how did they not notice it had gotten so late? And how did they not notice the storm?

The girls turn back to each other and laugh at themselves. For a moment, Paige takes her time to memorise Emily's face. Her cheeks were flush from the cold and she was covered by falling snow, but she looked so happy. Her eyes twinkled in delight and Paige swears she never saw anything more beautiful.

Bunny howls at the storm, shocking Paige out of her trance. As Paige goes over and scoops up his leash, Emily calls out, "Shouldn't you have picked up Eli by now?"

"Nah, my dad's dropping him off at a friend's house." Paige answered and rushed back with Emily to her car as the rain began to drip down. They managed to get in before they were drenched.

"C'mon," Paige smiled, "Let's get you home."

The ride back was done in comfortable silence. Well, at least for Emily. For Paige, this had been incredibly awkward. She's usually a very reserved person but with only a few words from Emily, she was spilling her guts. First the secret about Eli, then about her pack.

The fact that Emily still had this kind of power over Paige unnerved the girl.

When they finally arrived at the Fields house and the rain cleared up, she didn't know why she followed her to the front door like a lost puppy. Maybe she felt like it was the right thing to do, maybe she felt safer knowing Emily went in safe.

She didn't have time to think about it when she noticed that she was standing on the front porch, in front of Emily.

She stared at her, smiling, and said, "Thanks for walking me to my car."

"It was no problem." Paige muttered, trying to force herself to look anywhere but into those damn honey eyes.

"And don't worry; your secret's safe with me." She said softly, "Trust me."

That same voice cackled and said, _You know you can't._

However, all thoughts left her mind as she noticed Emily was getting closer to her. Paige's heart was beating so hard but she was frozen in place. So many conflicting thoughts and emotions that all short-circuited her mind.

Thankfully, she didn't have to react when Mama Fields herself swung open the front door. Emily jumped back and smiled innocently. Paige was sure she was having a heart-attack.

"Emily! I was getting so worried! I heard there was a storm-" She stops speaking when Emily shifts and she sees Paige standing behind her.

For a moment, she thinks Pam is angry with her. Suddenly, she's engulfed in Pam's arms.

"Oh, Paige. I haven't seen you in so long!" And that's when Pam starts pulling Paige inside the house. "Please, come in. You must be starving."

 _Fuck no!_ Paige internally screams. Dinner with the Fields would be an awful idea. Especially considering this is a Hunter property. And that Papa Fields is a military man with a wide collection of guns. Guns he'd probably want to use on the girl who made her baby girl leave school for a while.

"Really, Mrs Fields, there's no need-" Paige stutters out until Emily cuts her off.

"C'mon Paige." She says, all bright-eyed and grinning, "I have to pay you back for the ride over."

And with that, Paige is ushered into what she's sure is her last supper.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Concerning Paige's behaviour around Emily: You have to understand that Emily has always been Paige's kryptonite. If we're going off canon material, Emily was a vital part of Paige learning to accept and love herself. So it'd make sense if Paige would act so smitten. Especially considering the circumstances in this AU.**

 **(In fact, there is canon evidence that Emily and Paige are polar-opposites personality wise: Emily appears kind but she actually has a violent, tempered side. Paige often acts too passionately but she's more of a lover than a fighter. Disregard this if you do not think so.)**

 **(In this AU) Personality wise, I believe you're thinking of Paige as more of an Alpha. She isn't. She turned down that position despite it being her birthright, because she's a Beta at heart. She's better at bringing people together than she is at ordering them around.**

 **However, Paige does have a very stubborn, forceful attitude that often gets her into trouble. As I'm sure you'll read in these next chapters.**

* * *

"Are you finally going to tell me about the dinner at the Fields or not?"

Mona had been patiently waiting for Paige to fess up. Ever since the dinner on Tuesday night, Paige has been sulking around school like a dog licking its' wounds. It was pathetic and it was secondhand embarrassment for Mona.

Paige, who was playing with her peas, froze up in her seat as memories came flooding back.

Mona pinched her leg, causing Paige to hiss and smash her leg against the table. Then, she sighed and deflated like a balloon, narrowly missing the mashed potatoes as smacked her head down.

"It was awful." Paige confessed.

Mona scoffed and resume filing her nails, asking, "What happened?"

For a moment, when Paige lifted her head to look at Mona, she seemed lost and frustrated. Finally, she blurted out, "Nothing!"

Mona froze and turned her attention back to Paige, her brows coming together in confusion, "What do you mean nothing?"

"I mean nothing!" Paige explained, running a shaky hand through her hair, "They didn't try anything. Mrs Fields was so nice and she served me an extra slice of lasagna. It was the best food I've ever had, Mona! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!"

"How is this a problem, exactly?" Mona was too old for this.

"There wasn't a problem and that's why it's a problem!" Paige explained, sort of. Mona gave her an unimpressed look and Paige groaned in frustration.

"Why didn't they try to slaughter me? I'm a werewolf, a purebred no less, in their home and they'd didn't tranquillise me! Well, Mr Fields looked like he was about to. He kept glaring at me all through dinner and when he did talk, he just made snide comments!

"Do you know he walked into the dining room with a shotgun? A shotgun, Mona! He said he was cleaning it and then walked right passed me and hung it up on the wall. I was staring at that all night, whenever Emily wasn't talking to me.

"And Emily. Jesus Christ, she kept bragging about me to her parents. She told them I was swim team captain, that I'd got my driver's license and my Dad's car. Just all this weird shit!"

"And her mother would not stop with the questions. I could barely enjoy the food because I thought I was being interrogated. Do you know how scary Mrs Fields is, Mona? I thought she was going to throw her car at me when I left!"

By the end of this rant, Paige was panting and gasping for air. She watched Mona for her reaction but all she received were bored stares, followed by the words, "You're an idiot. They were just being nice to their daughter's ex girlfriend."

Paige was exasperated at that point and simply dropped the subject, grateful that she got that off her chest.

"But you may be onto something about Emily. I may be overthinking this but Emily is trying very hard to make this relationship work. I don't know what you said but I think you may have guilt-tripped her."

Paige's jaw hung, "What? What guilt? I'm the one who messed up."

Mona shrugged, "Maybe you did that thing where you blow up and lash out at everything that moves. Is there something — anything — that may make her think this situation is her fault?"

Paige thought long and hard before nodding and slumping forward, smashing her head onto the table. From her awkward position she mumbled, "I'm such an _idiot_."

"Sweetie," Mona placed a hand on her shoulder, "I've known that for years now."

As Paige grumbled to herself, Mona continued, "I need you to do something for me."

"Ah yes, the Vanderwaal method," Paige says dryly, "insult them and then ask for a favour."

Mona leaned forward in her seat, glaring at Paige, saying, "This isn't a favour; This is an order."

Paige rolled her eyes and said, "Great, you're pulling rank. OK, what do you need?"

"Find out what's the deal with Caleb Rivers. I need to know what relationship he has with Lucas. If I don't know soon, this will be the only thing I think about until I know." Mona says, watching as Paige gives her a shit-eating grin.

"I knew you'd crack." She says, "I thought you said the boy was harmless?"

Mona scoffs, "Don't mock me, Paige. Unless you want another dose of the Alpha voice."

Paige shudders but motioned for Mona to continue.

"Your focus should not be Caleb specifically: find out what he is to Lucas. We all know that the Gottesman family are more _reserved_ in their lycanthropy." Mona says that word like its bitter in her mouth, "Lucas has never come to me to be turned and I doubt he even knows what he is."

Paige, who had been waiting patiently, asked, "So what? They were just planning on letting him turn naturally? That's one of the worst experiences our kind can have."

"I know," Mona says, "but we can't force the change on him. Murder doesn't exactly bode well on a college application."

Paige laughs but before she leaves, she turns to Mona and asks, "Why Caleb? Why the sudden interest?"

For a moment, Paige thinks Mona is going to say something witty or sarcastic. Instead, she gives a sharp intake of a breath and says, "There's something not right about him. Just looking at him makes me feel sick."

Paige's mind goes back to a moment when she sat near Caleb at the library. The air around him felt off, like he was covered in wolfsbane.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Paige says before leaving, "I'll get back to you in a couple of days. Later, Boss!"

* * *

For the next two days, Paige watched Lucas and Caleb like a hawk. She sat behind them in classes, eavesdropped their conversations, did whatever she could to get an understanding of what exactly was going on.

And she found nothing. They seemed like just a couple of nerdy boys hanging out and doing legally dubious pranks. They must have built this friendship on something geeky and technical that makes Paige's head spin.

Just when Paige begins to doubt there's anything going on, that she and Mona just made it up, she notices something.

Caleb and Lucas never touch. Sure it's not unusual for guys not to be touchy-feely, but Lucas seems to actively try to avoid Caleb's touch. It's not too obvious; you have to look for it. As soon as you see it, however, you notice a pattern.

Whenever Caleb would pat Lucas's back or bump shoulders in the hallway, Lucas would freeze up. It was noticeable too: the stiffness in his back, the whites of his knuckles, the ragged breathing. Either Lucas had a massive crush of Caleb, or he knew something was off about Caleb too.

This wasn't enough, however, to report back to Mona. So Paige had to resort to petty interrogation to get something out of Caleb.

So, after skipping swim practice on Thursday, Paige waited in an empty classroom for Caleb to show up. She had managed to nick Lucas's phone and send him a text telling him to meet him there. Paige thanked God that Lucas didn't keep a lock on his phone.

"Lucas? I got your text, dude!" Caleb called as he barged into the classroom. He looked around the room, confused, before jumping at the sound of Paige slamming the door close.

"The fuck?" He said, watching Paige with anger and a bit of fear. Paige could smell it on him. She ignored him as she shut the door, only saying, "Take a seat, Rivers."

Begrudgingly, Caleb sat down in front of her. Paige took a moment to study his face up close. He was handsome, in the disheveled, skater way. He desperately needed a haircut, seeing as his hair reached the top of his shoulder blades.

If Mona wasn't a pretty as she was, Paige would think she had some competition.

"We need to talk." Paige said, her voice cold and steely, as she fished her pockets for the phone.

"What? Did I fix your phone of something? I told you: no refunds." Caleb asked, crossing his arms across his chest. Paige, who had to rely on reading body language as a werewolf, smirked at his posture. He was uncomfortable, wary and almost frightened by Paige.

 _Good,_ Paige thought, _It's easier when they're scared._

Paige handed him Lucas's phone and watched as his jaw clenched in anger as he recognised it.

"This is Lucas's phone, isn't it?" He asked, anger blazing in his eyes, "The fuck did you do to him?"

"Nothing, Rivers," Paige's voice is calm, steady, "Lucas is fine. He doesn't even know you're here. He is probably at home right now."

"Great, I'm leaving then," He says as he rushes to get out. Paige is faster and stronger, however, so she pushes Caleb back into his seat and keeps him there.

Caleb wiggles in his seat, yelling, "Get your hands off of me!"

"Not until you answer a few question, first. Then you can leave."

He growls out, "I don't have to say a goddamn thing to you!"

"Oh yes you do." Paige snarls, "Not unless you want me to inform your probation officer that you've been giving out illegal upgrades."

Caleb stills in his seat, frozen in fear and wide-eyed. Paige smirks in victory, thinking, _Got you, little bastard._

"You're bluffing." He says as he tries to force Paige's hand off his chest. He couldn't believe how strong she actually was. Surely swimming doesn't make you that buff?

"Oh really?" Paige says, taking out her own phone and scrolling through the contacts, "Because I'm sure Officer Samuel Martin would _love_ to hear about this. Maybe he'll even call your foster parents and ask why their son has been staying at the Gottesman residence instead of his own home."

Paige let go of Caleb's chest and stood up straight, hands limp at her sides as she looked down on Caleb. He rubbed his chest, saying, "Fine. Ask your questions."

"What's your relationship to Lucas Gottesman?"

"He's my friend," Caleb says, "he let me stay at his house instead of going home to that bitch. Why?"

"Next question." Paige ignores him, "Has he told you about his… genetic disease?"

"What?" Caleb asked before shaking his head, "No. He's never said anything about being sick. What's wrong with him?"

"That's for him to tell you, not me." Paige is really starting to doubt there's anything supernatural about this guy. In hindsight, Paige might have just made this up. Maybe hanging around werewolves wasn't good for her mental health. Go figure.

"What's your deal, Rivers?" Paige asks, watching as Caleb grows more and more confused.

"What? You're the one who locked me up and interrogated me!" Caleb yells, as if suddenly realising the situation he's in.

"Not like that, dumbass. I mean what are you? Chimera, abomination, what? You don't act like a demon, well, not really. And you're a bit too socially adept to be a vampire. So what are you?"

"What's wrong with you? Is this some roleplaying game? I don't want to be a part of your fucking game!" Caleb is livid now and Paige understands: either he's trying to hide what he is or he really doesn't know and Paige is freaking him out.

"I never asked you to play games. I'm going to have to repeat it for you: What are you?"

"I'm wondering why I haven't kicked your ass, fucking psycho!"

Caleb jumps up from his seat and tries to make a run for it. Paige rolls her eyes and grabs him by the shirt, pulling him back. Then, something very frightening happens.

He must have done something supernatural, it's the only explanation. Somehow, when he pushed both hands against Paige's chest, he knocked all the wind out of her. She felt paralysed, unable to breathe or think. For a moment, she felt fourteen and human again.

Paige barely noticed that Caleb had legged it out of the classroom. All she could do was stay on all fours and try to suck as much air as she could into her lungs.

At least she had something to report back to Mona with.

* * *

After explaining what happened, Paige wasn't surprised that Mona only focused on the last few seconds of the altercation. She seemed to be mulling over the report, as if something was worrying her. There were few things that scared Paige and Mona being worried was one of them.

"And Caleb won't say a word of this, right?" Mona finally asked. When Paige nodded, she continued, "Then leave that part to me. The Vanderwaal bestiary probably has something on this."

"Alright, whatever you say Boss." Paige mumbled as she softly rubbed her chest. Caleb left some nice handprints on her before he left. Blue ones, in fact. Paige now wished she had been rougher with the boy.

"Focus on Lucas; You're not going to get anything out of Caleb now." Mona ordered.

Honestly, Paige was getting real tired of being the messenger.

* * *

Getting Lucas to talk was actually very easy. She was his lap partner in Chemistry so it wasn't like he could avoid her. Not like Caleb had been doing all week.

"Lucas we need to talk." Paige whispers to him, pretending to take notes off the board so Mr Donatello doesn't catch on.

Mr Donatello was 40-something science teacher who had a no-nonsense attitude. He had thick, oily hair and a baby face that somehow made for an attractive appearance. However, you wouldn't notice this if he yelled at you every five minutes like Lucas.

"Yeah, I think we do Paige." Lucas snarls out, pouring the acid into the beaker, "You wanna explain why you're interrogating my only friend."

"It was pack business, Lucas. You'd know that if you'd just asked Mona to turn you." Paige says, egging the boy on.

Lucas is almost too loud now, "No, Paige! You know my family are traditionalists. They believe in 'not mixing the venoms' or something."

"That's bullshit and you know it. Mona's Mum turned her; why can't your parents do the same?" Paige had gone off-topic, she knew, but this may be her only chance to get this kind of information out of him.

"Maybe I don't want to be a werewolf! Did you ever think of that, Paige?"

Mr Donatello finally heard them and yelled, "McCullers, Gottesman, pipe down or you'll be joining me for dentition."

The two were quieter now, especially Paige. For a girl who regretted her own lycanthropy, she sure was pushing it onto her friend.

She waited for a moment, pretending to measure the beaker, before whispering, "Look, I'm sorry. I know the phasing can be scary — I would know, I went through it — but if you wait too long, the phasing will be worse."

This next time Lucas spoke, Paige almost thought she imagined it. Very softly, he whispered, "But what if there was another way?"

"What?"

"Nothing," He mumbled, "Look, I know all about the feud between Alison and Mona. I know about the Hunters legacy and the fight between you and Emily. I also know that Mona has been keeping tabs on me by using some of your whelps.

"But I don't want to be involved in any of it. I just want a normal life. And shouldn't someone with a normal life have at least one friend?"

Paige's heart clenched tightly and she swallowed down some bile that rose in her throat. He sounded just like she did when she was a whelp.

She said, "I'm just trying to look out for you. You and I were friends back when Alison ran the show. And maybe we aren't as close as we were back then, but I hope you know that you have more than one friend."

Lucas smiled softly, fondly almost, and said, "I know, Paige. But Caleb is too. Caleb doesn't treat me like an outcast and I treat Caleb like a normal guy. And I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your supernatural mayhem away from him."

Paige sighed; she knew Mona would not like that. Regardless, Paige said, "OK. I won't mess with Caleb anymore. You have my word."

The school bell rung, startling both teens. The two did their best to finish up their prac as everyone piled out.

Mr Donatello called to them from the front of classroom, saying, "You two can lock up; I gotta run to a meeting. Leave the keys in my office."

And after chucking the keys at Paige, he darted down the hall with his hair flopping in the breeze. They two had mostly finished by then and Lucas was making his way out the door. Just before he left, he paused at the entrance and turned back to face Paige.

"You were right, though." He says and Paige's hand froze above the bunsen burner. "There is something up with Caleb. I've been trying to ignore it but… I don't know."

Paige shrugged and said, "Just keep me posted, OK?"

Lucas gave a small grin, nodded and left Paige alone with her thoughts and a bunsen burner.

She knew she was supposed to feel happy that she had been right, that there was something going on with Caleb. But the only thing she felt was scared. What could Caleb be? He didn't seem to be a beast, nor a shapeshifter. And was Lucas safe living with him?

Too many questions to ask and not enough time. Especially when Paige realised that one of her pages had slipped out and was now set alight by the bunsen burner.

Paige thought, _Great. There goes my Chem homework._


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N: I've made some minor tweaks to earlier chapters. Mostly just the rewriting of a few scenes and the change in season (formerly summer, currently winter). Just for reference. Also, if you want an accurate visual representation of what the werewolves look like, feel free to look up "Skyrim Mod - Heart of the Beast."**

* * *

Driving through the woods while blaring ACDC was not the stealthiest of approaches. Even less so when two rowdy werewolves are singing (terribly) the whole way there.

The rowdy werewolves in question, Paige and Toby, were completely oblivious to the glare thrown at them by Mona. She knew Paige was incorrigible but she had at least hoped that Toby, now an adult with a job, would at least be more restrained.

But no, t'was not the case. The two idiots were happily belting out the lyrics to _Highway To Hell_.

Mona, finally having enough, slammed the brakes down, sending the two flying forward; Paige against the dashboard and Toby into the passenger car seat. The car came to a halt as the two groaned in pain, allowing Mona to shut the radio off for good.

"What the fuck, Mona?" Paige moaned, nursing her head in her hands.

"Sorry, thought I saw a rabbit," Mona says, smirking at her small victory, "But you really should be wearing a seatbelt. You too, Cavanaugh."

Both grumble under their breath but do as their Alpha says.

Paige mutters, "I should've just stayed home."

"Shut it, McCullers." Mona hisses, "Or have you already forgotten that we've extended this test because _someone_ had to go to a meet yesterday?"

"I would rather have gone here than have to do that meet." Paige grumbles, sinking further into the leather seats.

"What do you mean?" Toby asks as he idly tests the rigidness of the cane in his hands.

Paige turns to face him, noticing what he was doing and says, "Oi, don't break that; I just gave it back from last Sunday."

Mona snaps her fingers in front of Paige's face, saying, "Paige, focus. What happened at the meet?"

The girl sighs, sinks back and recounts that awkward memory.

It was Friday evening, at the end of the meet. The Sharks had won by a landslide, especially with Emily as the one leading the relay and Paige being anchor. Most of the team was planning on celebrating at someone's house but Paige had get some homework done by Saturday so she stayed behind.

So, as most people began pouring out of the locker rooms, Paige was waltzing out the change rooms in only a small towel and a drops of water to cover her.

She was planning on taking her time changing, see as though she was alone, but there was a problem with her plan. That problem stood a few feet away from her, completely naked from the waist up and with her back to Paige: one Emily Fields.

Now usually, Paige wouldn't not even react to an underdressed woman; every woman knows to give each other the barest of respect by not ogling their body in change rooms. But this was different. This was Emily Fields, that girl with looks that could kill, with skin as smooth as silk and slightly freckled from the Australian sun.

The same skin that Paige had traced shapes and words into when she was still allowed to hold her. The same skin that Paige had kissed with lazy affection on warm summer nights.

And suddenly, Paige couldn't find her voice underneath all the bittersweet memories that came crashing down. All she managed to do was make a small squeaking sound.

At this, Emily jumped and covered her arms over her chest. She whipped her head around, damp hair twirling, and visibly relaxed at the sight of Paige.

"Jesus, Paige. At least give a girl some warning." She joked but quickly slipped on a bra and her blue Sharks hoodie. There was something about Emily looking so plain yet so beautiful that made Paige's heart ache.

Paige mumbled out something of an apology before all but sticking her head in her locker. One of the problems of being white was that blushing could never be hidden.

Emily seemed to take the hint and coughed awkwardly. The two went back to their own worlds, despite being a foot away. Paige was doing everything she could to get her clothes on, while Emily was sitting on a bench tying her shoelaces.

The longer the tension sat between them, the guiltier Paige felt. So, once she slipped into her leather pants, she turned to Emily.

"Look, I gotta apologise." She says, leaning against her locker for support.

Emily looked up, frowning, and said, "Paige, it's OK, we already talked about-"

"That isn't what I mean." Paige cuts her off, "I have to apologise for… what I've done recently."

"Recently?" Emily asks, looking even more confused than before.

Paige swallows down the bile and guilt that had built up in her throat. _Here goes nothing,_ she thinks.

"I know that what I said, y'know about you leaving, might have given you the wrong idea. You have to understand, Emily; I don't blame you for running. If my girlfriend did that to me I'd probably do the same. I didn't mean to guilt-trip you or anything. So please don't think you have to make it up to me."

Paige felt physically exhausted after saying that, which was a surprise. For a girl that could bench press twice her body weight with ease, that must have been some feat.

Emily, on the other hand, was just staring at Paige with an unreadable expression. It wasn't neutral, it was like she was trying to hold something back.

Finally, she gave Paige a sheepish smile and says, "Thanks, I've been going crazy all week trying to figure out how to make it up to you."

Relief washed over Paige like an ocean wave. She sighed and leaned into her locker, feeling better than she had in days.

"It's cool. At least we got that out of the way." Paige grins and she knows that she probably looks like a dope but she can't seem to care.

At that moment, Paige's phone vibrates inside her locker. She grabs it and finds a message from Mona, reading: **Test is tomorrow, bring first-aid kit. Hanna bailed.**

She scoffs at her bluntness before Emily asks, "Is that your girlfriend?"

Her voice has this sharpness to it that Paige immediately recognises as anger. More specifically, envy. Emily was never good at hiding emotions well. But for the life of her, Paige didn't know who Emily-freaking-Fields could ever feel jealous of.

"Don't have one. It's just Mona." Paige explains carefully as she shoves her things into her sports bag.

"Oh, really?" Emily says, now standing and leaning against the locker beside Paige, "So there's no one you're interested in?"

Paige's hand froze over her bag. Judging by the tone in her voice, her posture and the way she grinned, Paige knew that Emily was flirting with her.

But why? Emily could have any girl she wanted but she went for Paige? Sure, she had leaned in suspiciously close to Paige on her porch but at that point, Paige was sure she had just imagined it. Along with all the other affectionate behaviour.

She sighed once more, gripping her bag handle tightly and said, "And that's the other thing we need to talk about."

Paige turned to face Emily, who was giving her this charming grin that made her knees weak. She quickly thought, _Ignore it, Paige. Push forward._

"It's not that I'm not interested, because believe me: I am." Paige says and tries not to whimper when she watches the grin fade away into the sad, wounded look.

"It's just," Paige runs her hand through her hair, messing with the wet curls, "It's been two years since we last had anything _real_. If we are ever gonna… _y'know_ , I think we should start over. As friends."

Emily is frowning now and Paige can't seem to look anywhere but into her eyes. Never in her wildest dreams would she imagine turning Emily down but… that felt right. She didn't want to rush in head-first and find some stranger where her Emily used to be.

For a moment, Paige thinks Emily is going to storm off in anger. Then, her face breaks out into a warm smile, the kind that men would go to war for.

"We _should_ start over." Emily says, putting her hand out gently, "My name is Emily Fields. You want to be friends?"

Paige chuckles and slips her hand into hers, saying, "I'm Paige McCullers. And for the record: I'd love to be friends."

Back at the present, Paige was finishing up the story while Toby and Mona were giving her unimpressed looks.

"So how was this a problem?" Mona asked.

"It wasn't," Paige said, "it was just so _awkward_ and draining."

"Paige! As your Alpha, I encourage you better relations with our enemies. We don't need another blood feud between the Hunters and the pack." Mona said, "Being friends with her is a good thing."

Toby finally pipes up, saying, "Speaking of friends, Paige, when did you decide to throw me under the bus too? Do you know Emily called me and ranted for a whole _hour_ cause I didn't tell her?"

"I'm sorry, it slipped out." Paige said, although she was trying to muffle her snickering.

"Are you really sorry, Paige?" Toby asked before pulling out his phone, "Is that why when I texted you, asking how Emily knew I was a werewolf, you sent a text that read: **Paige Not Found**?"

At this point Paige didn't care to stifle her laughter. Instead, her laughing drowned out the sound of Mona's groaning. If there was one thing Mona found unbearable, it was puns and dad jokes. Humour that Paige McCullers was full of.

"If you two are done, it's time to get serious." Mona says, effectively shutting them up. "We need to steal those letters back from Alison."

The only thing to be heard was the low rumble of the engine. Paige almost thought she heard Mona wrong, but she looked over and found that Toby was stunned for words too.

"You can't be serious, Mona." Paige says, "This has to be a joke to get my blood pumping for the test. Well, mission accomplished, I am officially having heart palpitations."

"What letters?" Toby asked, as curious as ever.

Mona completely ignores the death stare Paige gives her, saying, "McCullers over here wrote Emily a stack of love letters. This was back when Alison still ruled the school. Well, it turned out that she wasn't sending Emily these letters, but Alison. Long story short, Alison used these to blackmail Paige into coming out to her Dad."

For a moment, Toby seemed to stunned to talk. His jaw was unhinged and hanging low, like a fish out of water. Finally, he turned to Paige and said, "Well, now we have to take them back! Has Emily read them?"

Dread was becoming a familiar feeling for Paige. She quickly said, "No, but-"

"But nothing, Paige." Mona snarled, looking dead ahead instead of at the girl in question. "If Emily hasn't read them yet then you're in luck. You just became friends again; do you really want a stack of paper to drive another wedge between you?"

Paige bit the inside of her mouth, drawing blood before it immediately healed. She knew Mona was right and so did Mona. But that didn't stop her from saying, "But do we have to resort to burglary? You're the clever person I know Mona; can't you think of something to get the letters back?"

"I'm not that good, Paige. Well, I am, but that's not the point." Mona says, "Alison won't even realise the letters are gone until she tries to use them against you. Besides, you won't be the one getting your hands dirty."

"What do you mean?" Paige asks, not trusting the tone of Mona's voice.

"I mean that Toby and I will be doing the crime." Mona says, "Let's face it Paige; you're a terrible liar and your moral fibre would probably gets us behind bars. Besides, even if Emily or Alison confronts you about it, you can say you had nothing to with it. _Honestly_."

Paige couldn't argue with that logic. In a sense, Mona was doing her a favour; she was stealing the letters back and Paige didn't have to lift a finger. She should be thanking her, but still…

"This is still a horrible plan." Paige groans and leans back into her seat, shutting her eyes tightly.

Toby clapped her on the shoulder, saying, "Just leave it us, Paige. You'll have a clean slate in no time."

The car stops abruptly and, luckily, Paige and Toby had seat belts on so they didn't crash like before. Mona turns to them and smiles widely, almost wickedly.

"Time for the final test."

* * *

The whelps had come together, all accounted for and covered in snow. They obviously planned beforehand that no one would have to suffer alone under the gaze of their Alpha and Delta. Not even a warm smile from their Beta could ease their nerves.

Paige could feel their anxiety. She could almost see it radiate off their bodies. Maybe it was one of her werewolf perks, maybe it was a human thing. Either way, she was beginning to feed on their anxiety.

"Toby and Paige have informed me that you have passed their tests." Mona begins, standing with a firm, domineering posture, "Is this true?"

No one says anything. Some of them are looking at their feet, others at the backs of those in front of them. They seem guilty for having accomplished something, which Paige finds odd but troubling.

"Niklaus Orlov." Mona snarls out his name like it was poison in her mouth.

A tall, muscular boy of fifteen steps out from inside the pack. He was a blonde, blue-eyed boy with a strong jawline: the American ideal man. But he looked frightened by the tiny woman in front of him like she was Satan himself.

Paige's gaze softens at the sight of him; she knew the boy well. He was a big softie, contrary to his appearance. She had helped him out with some family issues he had. And by 'family issues' she meant his alcoholic father who didn't know how to keep his hands to himself.

Long story short, Niklaus' father has not raised his voice or his hand to his son in months. All it took was one visit from the "she-wolf" and Paige had the man quivering in his boots.

She hoped Mona wasn't too hard on the boy.

"Yes, ma'am?" Niklaus asked politely, with his thick Russian accent.

"I believed I already asked my question." Mona said, glaring at the boy, "Is that true?"

At this point, the boy looks like he's about to piss himself. Still, he swallows thickly and says, "Yes, ma'am. Toby and Paige gave us — all of us — passes."

Mona clenched her jaw and hummed, thinking. Paige had to admire the boy's willpower; most of the whelps stumble over their words when talking to their Alpha.

"Do you think they made the correct judgement?" She asked, a wicked smile gracing her face.

Niklaus' eyes widened in surprise, and he said, "What?"

Mona crosses her arms and narrows her eyes, saying, "I will not repeat myself, Orlov."

Paige's head dipped down as she grimaced. Of course Mona would play mind games with the boy. She should have expected that.

He could say, "Yes" and Mona would call him arrogant, that he should humble himself, followed by a string of insults directed at the pack as a whole. But he could also say, "No" and Mona would tell him that if he wasn't preforming at peak condition, why should she allow them to test themselves now.

He could also stumble over his words and Mona would mock him for it. He needed to think of something clever, and fast.

"Well, I can't speak for them, ma'am." Niklaus says. Paige was silently cheering him on, hoping he nailed this, as he continued, "But I trust in their judgement and experience."

Paige let her shoulders droop only for a moment, as she sighed with relief. He did it. Mona can't say anything about this; if she disagrees, she'll be giving her Beta and Delta a bad name and then how can the pack respect them?

Mona glared at the boy before jerking her chin, saying, "Back in line, Orlov."

He was all too happy to be out of Mona's sole gaze. He marched back into line and visibly relaxed next to his friends. Paige felt a small grin of pride grow on face.

Once again, a smirk grew on Mona's face as she said, "As Orlov said, Paige and Toby have had fair judgement on you. But they were using kid gloves on you. This time, I've made my own test and it has a few rules."

A small buzz of energy came from the pack; many looked at each other for support. Surely Mona's test couldn't be that bad, they must've thought.

"Around the forest, Paige and Toby have hidden a number of white cloths. Each has a similar scent to this one." Mona throws a piece of cloth at the nearest whelp. Soon, many were smelling it, taking in the odour.

"Your job as a pack, is to find every single one of them and bring it back to this rendezvous point."

Some members of the pack are beginning to smile and Paige can't shake the feeling that those smiles will vanish in a few moments.

"Well, that's not too bad." One whelp says, encourage others to agree and nod.

"I mean," another says, "it's not like we haven't done this before."

As a happy energy buzzes around the pack, Mona begins to laugh. Paige swears she can see every whelp lose colour in their face.

"You didn't let me finish." Mona says, "You see, _everyone_ must have a cloth or you all fail."

One brave soul pipes up, saying, "That's OK. We have some great trackers so we could-"

"Oh, I know you have plenty of trackers." Mona silences them once more, "The question is whether any of you can overpower your betters."

Dead silence, except for the sharp sound of leaves bristling in the wind. The pack looks terrified, some even look like they might puke.

"Did you think that my test would be that easy?" Mona asked, before lifting another piece of cloth in the air. Paige and Toby took out their own, brandishing it high. Paige was sure that one of the pack almost fainted.

"We have to steal each of your cloths," Niklaus asks, eyeing his betters, "Or we fail?"

"Bingo." Mona says. "If you don't have all of them by midnight — in four hours time — you all fail."

The pack looked at each other for a moment, obviously terrified at the prospect of having to fight their betters. Paige couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Mona says, glaring at them, "Begin!"

It took them a moment but soon, more than a dozen werewolves were phasing at will, turning into horrible beasts. Their coats varied from brown, grey, blonde and red. None black: only Paige, who's father was the former Alpha, had that honour.

Some had trouble phasing at first, but after some encouragement from the other whelps, they were sprinting through woods as the beasts they were.

The games had just begun.

* * *

Two hours later into the test and Paige was cornered by five or six werewolves. They had her surrounded, each wolf inching closer. Their eyes were focused on the white cloth tied to Paige's leg. Their voices were deep and were growling uncontrollably. Many had venom dripping from their teeth, other were deeper into the forest, allowing their eyes to glow in the dark.

To say Paige was scared was sugar-coating it. She was terrified: they hadn't brought enough wolves. She might ended up killing one of them.

So there she stood, surrounded and battle-ready. Her heart was pounding in her throat and ears, but she felt more alive than before. One wrong move and they'd have her.

As if on cue, one werewolf charged her, snarling and with claws bared. Paige could feel her blood boiling, and that voice in the back of her mind was begging to come out, to tear the whelp to pieces.

Paige relented. Instead, she phased into a lesser form. Her muscles expanded, hair grew and covered most of her body, her fangs extended and her ear elongated. Now she was ready to fight.

She step-sided the beast and kicked the middle of its back. It flew through air and landed to the ground heavily. Another took its chance and tried to get Paige from behind, but she saw it coming. Twisting with her hips, the back of her fist connected with the beasts jaw, surely breaking a few bones.

It howled in pain but Paige didn't have time to care; two other werewolves barrelling down on her from both sides. This was going to be harder than she thought.

This went on for a few more minutes before Paige gave in. She allowed her blood to boil, for her bones to sizzle. Venom coursed through her body, as well as relief. When she opened her eyes, she was about six feet tall and loomed over the other werewolves.

Her eyes, now golden, glared down at her pack. She felt the crushing urge to tear through these wolves like they were nothing but pushed that urge down. Instead, she allowed an earth-shaking roar to erupt from the pit of her belly. Each werewolf whimpered and moved away from her.

Her throat burned when she finished but she couldn't care less. She felt anger beyond the point of rage. Underneath the moon's gaze, Paige felt all-powerful and indestructible.

Soon, the beasts regained their confidence and charged her once more. They must have assumed that she would go easy on them. In actuality, Paige whipped those whelps around like chew-toys. Her fangs sunk into multiple bodies, she inflicted various flesh wounds and broke many bones.

This didn't last long, however, as the werewolf healing factor was far too advanced in their current state.

Just as Paige thought she had them on the run, they surrounded her again. But this time, they all charged at once. Most of it happened too fast but the next thing Paige remembers was being flat on her back, staring at the forest canopy and feeling an odd absence around her ankle.

When she darted back up onto her feet, she found one of the whelps holding her cloth in its bloodied hand. Judging by the way they were wagging their tails, they seemed pretty pleased with themselves.

Still, they were wary of their Beta. Especially when she stalked over to the thief with a deadly vibe. Just as Paige was a few feet away from them, however, she stopped. She bent forward and from the pit of her stomach, let rip a howl that echoed through the whole forest.

She was signalling to Mona; they'd had won.

* * *

Back at the rendezvous point, Mona was waiting for them. She was slightly covered in blood, although none of it her own. Unlike Paige who looked like something out of a bad zombie movie. She probably smelled terrible too.

Paige took her place by Mona's side, while Toby had flanked her other side. They waited for Mona to give a verdict.

Mona continued to make them wait. Soon, the tension was growing too high and many of the pack were beginning to wonder if not everyone got a cloth. Finally, a smile grew on Mona's face, as wide and as bright as the town of Rosewood.

"Congratulations. You all graduate."

The whooping and hollering were so loud that Paige couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her. She wouldn't look back on this moment with pride, Alpha or not.

"Enough, enough." Mona said, although without the usual malice in her tone. "I have an announcement to make."

The whelps — now official Subordinates — waited patiently for Mona. It didn't stop them from wearing face-splitting smiles.

"To celebrate, I have decided to treat the whole pack to dinner at the Brew."

More whooping and hollering, only this time it was louder and happier. Paige couldn't believe it; Mona would never usually do this. She must have been very impressed with the pack's performance.

So, as they all began to leave, Paige got into the passenger seat of Mona's car, along with Toby. It was only as they had exited the forest that Paige chose to break the silence.

"So, a celebratory dinner?" Paige asked coyly, "I have to say: I'm surprised."

Mona rolled her eyes, saying, "Don't look so smug, McCullers. They deserve this. Their adeptness at phasing, their planning and teamwork, their tracking and strength. We trained them well."

"I love saying this: I told you so!" Toby sounded like a child on Christmas. He seemed happier about this outcome than Paige did.

Honestly, Paige was tired. She was covered in blood, smelled like a pig and was ready to pass out on any solid object. However, something, whether it was a gut-feeling or not, made Paige check her phone.

When she did, she found an hour old text from Lucas that read: "Come quick. Something's wrong with Caleb."

 _Fuck._ Paige thought. _So much for a celebratory dinner._


	6. Chapter 6

When Paige arrives at the Gottesman residence, she immediately notices that house is silent, not a soul to be heard. It's only using her heightened senses that she can hear faint, racing heartbeats and hushed breathing from inside.

"It shouldn't be this quiet." Mona says, hopping out of her car.

Paige wanted to go alone but she and Toby refused to take 'no' for an answer and honestly, Paige needed all the help she can get. So, after a quick stop at the Vanderwaal residence, they drove in silence to Lucas' house. Mona had taken an old, chunky book with her, although Paige neglected to ask questions. Her mind was on Lucas and Caleb.

"Am I gonna knock or are you?" Paige asked, riddled with anxiety. The trio stood in front of the door, unmoving and with bated breath.

Mona rolled her eyes but rapped her knuckles on the door. Paige could hear muffled sounds of movement and whispers before the door swung open. Mrs Gottesman, open seeing them, visibly relaxed and sighed.

"Thank God." She said, ushering them in. They followed her in silence, although Paige shot her a sheepish smile.

They stood in the living room, listening for Caleb and Lucas. They didn't have to wait long, however, because the moment the front door slammed shut, muffled screams could be heard from upstairs.

Mr Gottesman, who was nursing a warm cup of coffee, said to them, "I'm assuming Lucas sent you a text."

Paige was too busying focusing on the screaming so Mona answered for her, "Paige got the text, yes."

"So what's wrong with Caleb?" Toby asked, eyeing the ceiling.

Mr Gottesman sighed into his cup and seemed to age twenty years. His wife laid a hand on his shoulder, saying, "He was acting off the whole week. He was acting out, waking up screaming in a cold sweat, just random stuff. Tonight, when we sat down for dinner, Caleb said he had a migraine and went upstairs to get some sleep. A few minutes later and he wouldn't stop screaming. We didn't know what was wrong with him."

Paige, finally paying attention, asked, "Why didn't you just take him to a hospital?"

A dark look passed over Mrs Gottesman's face as she said, "He kept screaming about 'the wolves and the spirits'. That, and the fact that he kept calling me the 'she-wolf.'"

Paige nodded grimly. Mrs Gottesman had been Paige's father's Beta. The fact that Caleb could know, or at least sense the lycanthropy in her, meant that whatever was wrong with him was supernatural. What it was exactly, Paige didn't know.

"All right," Mona said, already making her way upstairs, "Let's go."

"Hold it."

The trio stopped and turned to Mrs Gottesman. She dropped her raised hand and said, "I have three questions before you go up."

Paige nodded and said, "Anything."

"What is that?" She asked, pointing at the book clutched in Mona's hands.

Mona held it up, showing off the cursive title that read ' _Vanderwaal_ '. She said, "The Vanderwaal bestiary. Whatever's wrong with him is in this book."

Mrs Gottesman nodded before turning to Toby, asking, "Why does he have a bat?"

Sure enough, in his large hands, he held a steel baseball bat. The word ' _McCullers_ ' was painted on it, albeit faded from time.

Mona answered for him, "He has anger issues. It's probably safer for everyone if he just sticks with mundane weapons."

Paige had to agree: once Toby was phased, the only thing to phase him back was the full force of Mona's Alpha roar. And even then, he's a loose canon.

"OK, but why are you two covered in blood?" She asked, pointing at Paige and Toby. It was true; underneath their clothes, their skin was covered in dried blood.

The two smiled meekly while Mona said, "It was initiation night."

It wasn't much of an answer but Mrs Gottesman knew better than to meddle in pack business. She sighed and flicked her wrist, gesturing for them to go. They trudged upstairs towards the muffled screaming.

Upon entering Lucas' room, Paige noticed two things immediately. One, that Lucas was sitting at the foot of his bed, watching an unconscious Caleb with suspicion. And two, that Caleb was tied with thick, steel chains to a computer chair and had duct tape over his mouth.

Lucas was the one to break the silence, asking, "Why are you covered in blood?"

Paige sighed and said, "Pack business."

He nodded, not exactly understanding, but focused his attention on Mona. She had been scrolling through the bestiary with slight frustration, looking for something.

"I'm guessing it doesn't have a contents page?" Paige asked, earning a glare from her Alpha. She would have snickered but she was cut off by Caleb's screaming.

"Hold him down, Paige." Mona ordered, not looking up from the bestiary. Paige moved quickly but hesitated when she stood behind him. Being near the boy made her feel ill, never mind touching. Still, she held down the struggling boy's shoulders as he screamed.

"Toby, be ready to swing if he breaks free." She said, and Toby nodded, squeezing the leather strips on his bat.

Paige gave her an unimpressed look, frowning as she said, "Mona, he is literally chained up to this chair with a lock and… Jesus, Lucas, where did you get these chains?"

They were like military grade chains, spotless and strong. Just as Lucas went to defend himself, Paige said, "You know what, never mind. I really don't want to know."

The sound of metal straining made Paige turn her focus back to Caleb. The boy was struggling against the chains and, somehow, he was breaking through.

Paige was throughly freaked out and ignored the smug look Mona threw at her. "What the…?"

As Caleb went back to struggling against his chains, Mona nearly yelled, "Aha!"

She set the bestiary on the table beside her, before looking at Paige and saying, "Bite him."

This just took a very different turn than Paige was expecting.

"What?"

"You heard me." Mona said, "Inject some venom into him."

Paige's blood ran cold. Mona was asking her to do the one thing she promised she'd never do. If even a handful of werewolf venom gets into a human's bloodstream, the lycanthropy would kick in. Mona knew this; she made about fifteen werewolves of her own.

"No. I won't turn him." Paige stood her ground, never letting go of Caleb's shoulders.

There was a standoff between her and Mona. A silent war waged between Alpha and Beta. The outcome sounds obvious, but Paige was never an ordinary Beta.

Finally, Mona relented and explained, "The venom won't turn him; he's immune."

Paige frowned. Caleb sure smelled human, even if he smelled off most of the time. So how could he be immune to lycanthropy?

"Paige, I swear, if I have to force you…" Mona didn't get a chance to finish because Paige's fangs had already sprouted from her mouth. The venom dripping off of her teeth glistened under the room's light.

In one quick action, she sunk her teeth into his shoulder and whimpered when she heard his pained cries. She knew what venom did to the system: it was like liquid fire being poured through your veins.

As he cried, Mona stepped forward and ripped the tape off of his mouth. He barely noticed that lesser pain.

Mona's voice seemed to lower a few octaves as she spoke to him, "Caleb Rivers."

As if he was being compelled against his will, he answered, "Yes."

Now Paige understood; Mona needed her Beta's venom in Caleb's system so she could force answers out of him. Being the Alpha had some major perks, apparently.

"What are you, Caleb?" Mona asked, still using her Alpha voice. Paige and Toby felt sick every time she used it.

"I'm human." He said, still straining against the chains.

"What is happening to you?"

Caleb stopped suddenly, before looking around frantically and saying, "There are too many of them."

Mona bent forward towards him, "Too many of who?"

"The spirits!" He shouted, tears rolling down his face, "They won't leave me alone!"

Mona sighed as she rose, mumbling, "I knew it."

"What happened, Mona?" Toby asked, his bat raised and ready. Paige was beginning to feel exhausted just by holding Caleb down.

"I had Paige investigate Caleb earlier this week. From what she told me, I managed to trace back what Caleb is in the bestiary." Mona began, holding the bestiary open to a sketch of a man being surrounded by black figures, "Caleb is a siphon."

"The hell is that?" Paige asked.

"A siphon is a rare supernatural being, almost entirely of Native American origin. For one, they aren't even supernatural; they're a human through and through. They are more like a gateway — a median — between the natural and supernatural worlds."

"Then why…" Paige began but Mona cut her off.

"Did he feel so off?" She finished for her, and after Paige nodded, she continued, "Because he is immune to supernatural beings in a psychical form. He can absorb things like lycanthropy, immobilising werewolves by freezing the venom in them."

"So he can drain the supernatural abilities like strength?" Paige asked, suddenly very aware of the pain and limpness in her arms.

"Exactly. He feels weird to anyone supernatural; why do you think me, you, Lucas and Mrs Gottesman sensed that he was off?"

Before Paige could ask anymore questions, Caleb resumed his screaming.

As she clamped her hand over his mouth, she asked, "So what's wrong with him now?"

"He has no protection." Mona said, shutting the bestiary closed, "Usually, a siphon gets taught how to control their abilities and how to ward off spirits. However, from what I found in his records, his mother gave him up for adoption when he was young and he has no ties to his biological family.

"However, I did a bit of research and found out his personal records. Turns out, Caleb is, in large part, Native American. Comanche and Cherokee to be specific."

"OK, so we know what he is." Toby said, eyeing Caleb warily, "But we've never done anything like this. How are we supposed to help him?"

"I've got a plan." Mona says before pulling out a small object covered by a velvet cloth. She unwraps the cloth and takes out a small wooden object. Upon further inspection, Paige realised it's a small, wooden totem of a wolf, attached to a strip of leather.

"Some Native American tribes believed in giving their people totems, usually in the form of an animal, to give them something to aspire to. The totems were symbols and were used as guides in aspects of the wearer's life." Mona explained, "This should anchor Caleb and keep away the spirits."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Paige said, stopping Mona from moving towards Caleb.

"What?"

Paige seemed sheepish now, saying, "It's just… Should we be using something so important from Native American culture for this? I know that Caleb is part Native American, but isn't this, like, cultural appropriation or something?"

Mona gave her a small smile, saying, "I appreciate the sentiment, Paige, but this isn't appropriation. I got this from a Native American source and they only agreed to give me this on the basis that it would be used for protection, not self-satisfaction or fashion. It's a cultural exchange."

Paige nodded, slightly relieved. She could only hope that this would work, unless Caleb screamed himself into insanity.

Mona breathed deeply and stepped towards Caleb, holding up the necklace. At the sight of this, Caleb seemed to be sent into a frenzy. He was throwing himself around and was probably hurting himself more than the chains.

Mona steeled her gaze and powered through, until something unsettling happened. As if ten voices were contained in Lucas' chest, he spoke, "That won't work."

Everyone except Caleb froze. The voice was haunting, mocking them. It was as if Lucas was possessed. He looked completely normal, besides the terrifying glare and the stiffness in his back from where he sat on his bed.

Mona swallowed hard, saying, "I'm assuming you're the spirits haunting Caleb?"

"Correct."

One word and Paige was ready to hightail it out the house. By the looks of it, so was Toby. Still, she held Caleb down with all her might.

"Why won't it work?" Mona asked, and Paige silently graduated her for keeping her voice steady.

"The False Alpha will not protect the Siphon from us. Only the true-born can keep us away for good."

Mona clenches her jaw and Paige feels guilty. She knew who the spirits were referring to; Paige, born from the last Alpha, was the true-born. The title Alpha, if you were going by traditional standards, was Paige's birthright.

"Mona, I…" Paige doesn't finish because Mona throws the totem at her. She caught it with one hand before Mona took her place, holding Caleb down.

She sighs but stood in front of the boy, who was much calmer now. As she puts the necklace around him, the boy stills in his seat and his head rolls back. Judging by the soft snoring, Paige can assume he's asleep.

Thankfully, Mona's plan worked.

Just as Paige moves away, Caleb wakes up. He looks like he's seen a ghost — poor choice of words, Paige knows — and he's looking around the room wildly.

"Caleb?" Paige asks carefully. He looks at her like he just noticed she was in the room.

"Paige?" He asks, before looking down at his chest, "Why…"

"Do you remember what happened?" Mona asks, moving to stand in front of him. He quickly nods and mumbles something about spirits and being bitten.

"I don't know what's going on with me." Caleb says, looking at Mona like she's his last hope.

Mona gives him a small nod and says, "And I'll explain everything. _Later_. For now, I have to address something else."

The room falls silent as Mona turns her gaze to Lucas. The boy, who had been quietly watching the scene before him unfold, looked startled. Paige wasn't ready for what Mona said next.

"When were you planning on telling us you were an abomination?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N: You guys are a super fucking nice. Fucking kudos to you guys. Hope you have a great day.**

* * *

They stood in stunned silence. Toby and Paige were lost for words; Caleb was washed out and confused; Mona stood in a quiet rage; and Lucas sat on his bed, a terrified expression on his face.

Paige had no idea what Mona was talking about. Prior to this night, the only supernatural being she knew to exist were werewolves. First Caleb was a siphon, now Lucas was an abomination? Isn't that a Christian thing?

"Is this a Christian thing?" Paige asked. Mona whipped her head around, squinting her eyes at her Beta.

"Paige," Mona began slowly, "you're a Christian."

Paige shook her head, saying, "Nope. Just cause my Dad's a pastor, doesn't mean I am too."

"As much as I love Bible lessons," Caleb said sarcastically, glaring at the two, "I'd like to move onto this abomination thing -— And can someone get these chains off of me!"

Paige mumbled out an apology before reaching for the chains. Her hands froze above the lock.

She looked over at Lucas, asking, "Where's the key?"

Lucas looked sheepish and gestured towards the open window. Paige face-palmed. Of course he would throw it out.

"OK, it's cool, I got this." Paige muttered, gesturing from Mona to continue as she bent down.

"Anyway," Mona said, turning back to Lucas, "Answer the question, Gottesman."

Once more, the colour drained from the boy's face. Paige could see this out of the corner of her eye as she snapped the lock in half. The heavy chains slipped free and tumbled down to the carpet, landing with a soft thud.

Caleb gave a sigh of relief and rolled his shoulders, enjoying the mobility. He looked at Paige carefully, before hopping out the chair and standing beside the window… which happened to be on the other side of the room.

Paige couldn't blame him: he just found out that werewolves were real, that he was a siphon, and that his only friend is some sort of monster. Of course he'd be wary of her. Not to mention they didn't exactly hit it off when they first met. Apparently, interrogations aren't solid foundations for friendships.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Lucas sounded so genuine that Paige almost believed him. However, one look at Mona's face told her he was lying. Mona always knew when someone was lying. She just did.

"Oh, really?" Mona asks, a sly look on her face as she reaches for the bestiary. She begins to flick through pages before stopping and trailing her finger down a page, asking, "So you have no idea who Malakai is?"

Lucas shakes his head quickly but Paige knew better. Judging by the way he swallowed, and the fact that he couldn't stop fiddling with his hand, she knew that the boy was hiding something. Then he begins scowling, like Mona had just insulted him.

Mona continued, not deterred in this slightest, "How about Titus?"

Lucas is visibly fuming at this point, and Paige and Toby step back, completely freaked out. Even Caleb, who has ill feelings towards Paige, gravitated towards her, seeking protection.

"Septimus?" Mona looks like she had won the lottery as she said this.

It was like watching something out of a high-budget horror film. The colour had completely drained from his face, leaving red bags under his eyes. His face begins to crack like a porcelain mask, and soon, a red sort of fog seeps through those cracks.

In a voice that was a rough as gravel, and as deep as the ocean, he asks, "Don't you know that names have power, child?"

Mona shuts the bestiary with a smirk, saying, "Ah, Septimus. A lesser spirit, as far as your kind goes."

The demon scowls, making his face crack more and for more fog to spill out. He warns her, saying, "You talk to a being over a thousand years old, child. You'll do well to show some respect."

"Or what? You'll kill me? You don't think three pureblooded werewolves could take out your host?" Mona didn't seem scared of this demon in the slightest. In fact, she acted like the demon was just any other person.

Septimus laughs, something chilling and haunting, and says, "You're quite confident for a woman."

Mona is more serious but the smirk remains, "Not for a woman: as a woman."

She looks back at Caleb, who couldn't remove his gaze from Septimus.

"To answer your question, Caleb, an abomination is someone who makes a contract with a spirit. Like your friend Lucas over here."

"What?" Paige asks. She must have fallen and hit her head on something during the test; there was no way that this was real.

Mona says, "You heard me; Lucas made a contract with a spirit."

Paige points at Septimus, who grins at her, asking, "Him? The one with the fog coming out of his face?"

Mona hums, "He's quite dramatic as you can see."

"What do you mean a contract? What did he agree to?" Toby asks, finally speaking up.

Septimus answers for her, "The boy didn't want to become afflicted with the lycanthropy that lies dormant in his veins. So he sought me out as a solution. He agreed to have his body become my host and, in return, I tainted his spirit. Using the siphon."

Silence falls over them as they realise what Septimus is talking about. They turn to Caleb, who looks slightly violated. Paige felt his pain; his only friend had used him as a means to an end. Granted, she couldn't emphasise with being used as a gateway to the supernatural world, but who does?

Mona presses on, "Contracted souls reject lycanthropy. Obviously the process must have taken some time, considering Lucas managed to summon you of all demons."

"I prefer the term spirit. But you are correct." Septimus huffs, offended, "The boy had been pestering me for months before I agreed."

Something clicks in Paige's mind. When she had confronted Lucas earlier that week about Caleb, he had mentioned something about finding a way to stop his phasing. Apparently, this is what he meant.

"There has to be more." Paige says, glaring at Septimus.

"Excuse me?"

Paige continues, "You're a demon, right? So what do you get out of this?"

Again, he scowls and chips began to fall from his face onto his lap, "First of all, the term is spirit. Secondly, my intent is harmless. I simply want immortality. Becoming a spirit and living through hosts is about as close to my goal as I can get."

Paige held up her hands, saying, "So let me get this straight: Because Lucas didn't want to be a werewolf, he made a contract with a demon, who now uses his body to live forever."

"Spirit!" He reminded her again, absolutely fuming now.

"That dumbass…" Paige mumbles, leaning back into Lucas' desk for support. As she does, her hand touches something. She looks down and sees that it was Lucas' notebook. His Chemistry notebook to be precise. Suddenly, the memory of her homework being burnt flashed into her mind. She quickly took out her phone and flips through the book, taking photos of Lucas' notes.

"Paige is right." Mona says, before turning back to the spirit, "Septimus, could we speak to Lucas now?"

"Gladly. The one with the haunted eyes was beginning to irritate me."

He and Paige glare evenly before he closes his eyes. The fog seeps back into the cracks as they close up. Colour returns to the boy's face, leaving Lucas blinking rapidly before scowling.

"If you could try not pissing off the spirit living in my body, that'd be great." His sarcastic tone was a comfort Paige didn't know she needed.

Mona yells, "Lucas! This isn't a joke. Do you know how lucky you are that you didn't make a contract with an actual demon?"

"Please. Give me some credit." The boys huffs.

"This could have been avoided Lucas. But _no_ , you just had to be anything but a werewolf."

He's yelling too now, but with a raw voice, "Contrary to your belief, Mona, but lycanthropy is a curse not a blessing. In almost every legend about us, we've either been cursed with it as punishment or an accident. So excuse me for not wanting that kind of poison in my body."

"But you're fine with a spirit in your body, potentially eating away at your soul every time you breathe?" Mona asks.

Something, she doesn't know what, made Paige turn back to look at Caleb. Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was luck. All she knows was that she could sense that he was distressed. Sure enough, as she turned around, she found Caleb almost hyperventilating.

In the midst of their argument, Paige cuts in, "Look! You guys can argue about morality all night but can we focus on the problem here?"

She looks back at Caleb and he gives her a wary look. She just nods at him, encouraging him to say something.

He begins, all breathy and raspy, "I don't know what happened today. At least, I don't understand it. I know that I'm something called a siphon. I know that my friend is an abomination and has apparently been using me."

Caleb looks directly at Lucas when he says this. He looks away from his friend, ashamed. Caleb returns his gaze to the werewolves in front of him, "And I also know that this isn't the first time something like this has happened to me."

"This has happened before?" Mona asks.

"When I was younger, six or seven I think. This was back when…" Caleb's face darkens here, as if reliving bad memories, "When I was with my father."

Mona sighs and retrieves the bestiary once more. She opens it up before holding out her hand to Caleb.

"Give me your phone."

He does, although reluctantly and with a frown. She takes photos of each page and hands the phone back to him.

"I know nothing about your kind and you said that you don't have connections with your biological family." She says, tucking the book into her side, "But I can at least give you all the information in this book. Whatever we know about your kind is in here."

Paige yawns and looks around, before setting her gaze on the window. The low rumble of thunder and the black clouds make her realise just how long they've been there.

"Look, I've gotta go home. Mona, you and Toby are going to have to talk to Lucas' parents about… _this_." Paige gestures to the whole room, not exactly sure what to call the scene in front of her.

Mona waves her off, saying, "It's fine, Paige. Go home."

Paige nods thankfully before rushing out of the house. As she darts down the street, piercing through the icy wind, she realises that she has no idea how she is supposed to explain this to her Dad. This night just kept getting worse for her.


	8. Chapter 8

Hypersensitivity to cold is one of Paige's least favourite aspects of lycanthropy. It's followed closely by the primal urge to turn into a she-beast every month.

The reason behind this is almost lost in most legends. Some say that their bodies are longing for the cold moon that they howl at, so their body mimics the temperature. Others say that the venom in their bloodstream changes their bodily temperature.

Paige thinks that's a load of crap. She thinks that because their natural state is in werewolf form, their body has trouble adapting to temperatures without fur. It's like when you shave your head and you feel a lot colder than you used to.

Either way, whenever the sun graces Rosewood with its' warmth, Paige soaks up as much as she can. It's for this reason alone that she is sitting in front of the school, doing homework under the sun.

Because it's currently late winter in Rosewood, Paige is too enthralled by the sun to really pay attention to anything around her. Which is why when a certain brunette drops her books right next to a sunbathing Paige, she jumps in her seat.

Clutching a hand to her heart, Paige breathes, "Jeez, Em! Give a girl some warning."

Emily laughs and sits opposite Paige, grinning as she asked, "Aren't you supposed to have great hearing?"

Paige rolled her eyes and shut her books, knowing she wouldn't get anymore work done until Emily left.

"Doesn't work like that." Paige says.

Emily almost recoils at this. Paige watches as she pursed her lips, and her shoulders straightened out, stiffening her posture.

Paige immediately asks, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just…" Emily pauses, trying to find the words, "For a Hunter, I know next to nothing about what I'm hunting."

Paige tenses. There was a large part of her that wanted to reach out to Emily, to tell her everything and anything she want. However, the part of her the knew the safety of the pack was crucial, held her back.

"Emily…" Paige began softly, watching as Emily shook her head.

She shrugs it off, "Don't worry, Paige. That's not why I'm here."

Paige tilts her head and smiles, asks "What do you need?"

Now, Paige had always thought she was middy attractive; if Emily-freaking-Fields took an interest in her then she must be. She always thought that her face was too scary, that she was too awkward or too muscly. So when Emily seems to nearly swoon at the sight of her, Paige has to stop and rethink her previous self-assessment.

Emily bites down on her lip, hard, and shakes her head softly. When she looks up, there's a certain sparkle in her eyes that makes Paige grin.

She asks, "I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight?"

Paige freezes, and not subtly either. She stops mid-breath and her eyes widen. She quickly shakes her head, mumbling, "Um, no, no, I can't. I have… werewolf stuff."

She dives back into her work, hoping that Emily would take the hint. Paige would be damned if she set foot in the Fields house again.

Unfortunately for her, Emily sees straight through her (awkward attempt at) deceit, and squints her eyes in skepticism, saying, "Paige."

"What?" Paige sighs, knowing that she'd cave in the moment Emily used _that_ voice.

"Are you lying?" If Paige wasn't mistaken, the vein on the side of Emily's neck was beginning to show. The temptation to lean forward and press it down with her lips —

 _'_ _No! Bad thoughts, Paige.'_ She thinks to herself, clenching her jaw, _'You lost that privilege a long time ago._ '

Paige nodded slowly, saying, "…Yeah."

Emily groans in irritation and not even Paige's sheepish grin sways her. She bites out, "Why? You're the one who said we should be friends in the first place."

"It's not that I don't want to. It's just…"

"What Paige?" Emily is boarding on anger now, and Paige has to common sense to come clean.

"Your Dad has a fucking shotgun! In the living room, Em!" Finally letting that out came with great relief and smidgens of fear. Emily was as protective of her family as Paige was, so she was ready for any rant thrown her way.

Instead of rant, however, Paige was left watching Emily holding her sides as she laughed, verging on tears.

"It's not funny, Emily. He scares the shit out of me." Paige whines, watching her wipe tears from her eyes.

 _'_ _God, does she ever look unattractive?'_ Paige thought, more smitten than envious.

Emily said through giggles, "He's just protective. He's actually just a big softie."

Paige scoffs, asking "Really?"

Emily grins at her and Paige feels something more powerful than a thousand suns. She says, "Really. I bought him a shirt that says, 'This Guy Loves Christmas', and I have one to match."

"So?" Paige asks.

"It's a matching _pink_ set."

After a moment, a simple, "Oh," was all Paige could produce.

"He just likes to act tough in front of all my girlfriends." Emily said this so casually that Paige's heart drops through her rip cage. The fact that Emily could have dated someone while living in Australia had never crossed her mind and now that it did, Paige wishes she didn't say anything.

A thousand thoughts clash in her mind, but achieved the same result: giving Paige copious amounts of anger. Emily may have ended the relationship, but Paige's feelings never changed. And the idea that another woman had her hands on Emily was, well…

"Paige, your eyes!" Emily whispers so harshly that it snaps Paige out of her daze. Looking at the black screen of her laptop, she sees two golden eyes peering back at her.

Paige couldn't believe it: three years of learning to control her lycanthropy and Emily could leave her will in ruins in a matter of seconds. This fact made Paige's chest ache, but she didn't know if it was from anger or angst.

Slowing her breathing down and shutting her eyes, Paige mutters, "Sorry. I lost it for a bit, there."

"Why would…" Emily begins but soon trails off, before quickly saying, "Oh God, no, Paige. You know what I mean."

Paige, after looking at her reflection and seeing black eyes, lets out a sigh of relief. She holds up her hands, saying, "None of my business."

This was the silence that Paige dreaded. It wasn't the silence from heated arguments that scared her, it was the ones that left things unsaid. In this case, there were too many things that Paige could say. "It could be my business," or "It used to be."

But Paige had standards; she wouldn't go crawling back to Emily like some love-sick puppy. She wouldn't trip over herself for the bat of an eyelash. Even if said action would make her swoon.

Paige wanted this to last. She wasn't fifteen and desperate to be loved by her crush. She was a fucking werewolf that deserved to be treated like an equal. So for once, Emily would have to be the one chasing her.

Emily sighed, trying one last time, "Look, my Dad won't even be home tonight; He's catching up with some friends in Rosewood. It'll just be me and my Mum."

Paige thought for a while, pursing her lips, before nodding, "OK, fine. I'll come."

"Yes." Emily looks pretty happy with herself, and Paige can't help the grin that nearly breaks her face.

Paige stops herself, seriously saying, "But if I see you Dad pull up in the driveway, I'm making a run for it."

"Duly noted."

They both laugh and it's like a weight has vanished off of Paige's shoulders.

Emily gets up to leave but before she does, she turns back and says, "Don't forget; 6 o'clock, 43 Serenity Lane."

"I got it." Paige flashes her one last lopsided grin before leaves.

Paige watches as Emily leaves, laughing to herself. As she turns back to her homework, she notices Alison watching her. She's sitting on one of the tables near the bike-rack with her new clique, a group of wannabe Alison's.

Whatever giddiness that Emily left her with had been snatched away by Alison's cold glare. Paige suddenly misses the security of being amongst a pack. As she looks around for an escape, she finds Caleb walking out of school. She shoves all of her books in her bag and rushes over to him, happy to get away from there.

"Caleb!"

He freezes and swivels around, stiffening slightly when he saw Paige.

"Hey, Paige." He says, albeit awkwardly. He stuffs his hands in his pockets as she flanks his side.

"Hey." She replies, catching onto his uneasiness and mirroring it.

There's this pregnant pause in the conversation and Paige wishes that _anyone_ else that been walking by. Still, she wasn't actually there for Caleb. He wasn't the one she cared about.

Paige huffs and scowls at him, saying, "Look, I'll get right to it; I'm not going to pretend to like you for Lucas."

"Good. I was getting tired of being all buddy-buddy with you." Caleb flashes her a grin but it's not the least bit friendly.

Paige sizes him up, scowling as she says, "We aren't friends, Caleb, that's clear. I interrogated you; you nearly ripped the soul out of my body in retaliation. But I saved your life, so I call it even."

Caleb scoffs and says, "You didn't; Mona did."

An almost sinister grin grows on Paige's face, "True, but don't forget that I'm apparently the only one who can keep the spirits away."

He freezes and Paige knows she has him. She wouldn't go through with the threat; she knows the Caleb would suffer if she did. But giving the boy something to fear about her was beyond satisfying.

He swallows thickly, scowling, and asks, "What do you want, Paige? Are you threatening me with more supernatural bullshit?"

Paige laughs mirthlessly, "No, dumbass, I'm here to talk."

It's Caleb's turn to grin, "And what makes you think I want to hear anything you say?"

"Because of Lucas."

Only three words, but Paige knows she has him in the bag. Caleb scoffs and crosses his arms over his chest, obviously playing dumb.

"You may have a problem with him now; I mean he did use you rather sadistically." Paige couldn't help the proud grin she wore, so Caleb saw it and glowered at her, "But you still care about him. You wouldn't still be staying at his house if you didn't."

Caleb ran his fingers through his already messy hair, saying, "I just don't have anywhere else to go."

"Oh really? Because according to Mona, she already offered you to come stay at her house, free of charge." A McCullers never went into battle without backup, it seems.

Caleb clicks his tongue but says nothing.

"So I'm offering a truce." Paige says.

"A truce?"

She sighs, "Look, we don't like each other, that's for sure. But so long as Lucas is around, we have to be civil. The kid's already harbouring a demon in his body, I doubt he needs anymore stress."

This isn't the only reason that Paige is doing this. Once upon a time, she and Lucas were friends. She was the scary, chubby girl that had a bad temper. He was the awkward boy-next-door that wanted to be left alone. Even as they grew older — and apart — Paige has something of a soft spot for the boy.

So of course she wants him to know that she's making an effort for his sake.

Caleb thinks for a moment, before nodding briskly. He holds his hand out to Paige, who stares at warily. The memory of nearly having her soul ripped out is still fresh in her memory.

"What? I'm not gonna kill you." Caleb says, as he pulls out his totem from his giant hoodie, "I have control now."

Still, Paige just eyes his hand, "Yeah, over your siphon skills, not your temptation for revenge."

"Paige." Caleb groans, his hand flexing with impatience.

Paige groans but obliges, slapping her hand into his. To her surprise, his hand is actually quite warm, not like what she imagined; in her mind it was frozen like his heart. He hisses as soon as she touches him, startling her.

"Jeez!" He drops her hand before nursing his own, "Do all werewolves feel like death?"

Paige glowers murderously at him, "Civility isn't a strong suit of yours, is it?"

"I didn't mean it like that; you're ice cold." Caleb says, rubbing his hands together.

"Oh, _that_." Paige chuckles, "Yeah, no, that's a constant thing."

"Whatever, I gotta go." The boy turns and takes his leave, leaving her at the front of the school.

Just before he's out of earshot, Paige calls after him, "Tell the spirits I said 'Hello'!"

Caleb flips her off.

* * *

"You are not a better swimmer, McCullers!" Emily is drifting between playful and enraged.

They are laying on Emily's bed, homework completely forgotten as they banter back and forth. They'd talked about local gossip, Emily's time in Australia and finally, swimming. However, being the competitive girls they were, they ended up in an actual argument.

"Yes, I am." Paige says this so matter-of-fact that Emily has stopped being coy. She sits up, resting her back on the bed-head next to Paige who is laying on her back, hands behind her head.

"We are literally the same speed, how could you be better?" Emily crosses her arms over her chest and her lips are pouting in a way that makes Paige want to hug her senseless.

Instead, she opts to banter, "Because while you were off in Australia, sunbathing under a red sun, I was working on these guns!"

Paige sits up and proceeds to flex her impressive arm muscles, rather smugly. Emily kicks her leg but it's through laughter.

"That doesn't even count; you got that from phasing!" Emily says, as if Paige was cheating.

"Nuh-uh. I got these from extensive dieting, weight-lifting _and_ exercising for three years. Don't be mad 'cause I pull more water than you."

Emily looked even more frustrated now, saying, "I'm faster than you! I pierce through the water faster than you can pull water or flip."

"No, you can't." Paige said, absolutely serious. In her mind, there was no way that Emily could beat her. Hopefully, she wouldn't be proven wrong.

"Is that a challenge, McCullers?" Emily raises her eyebrow and squints at her, however there's a coy look in her eyes.

Paige crossed her legs and leaned forward, saying, "You're damn right it is. This Friday, come to my place and we'll see just who is better."

"I hope I don't bruise your ego too badly." Emily flips her hair over her shoulder and Paige reminds herself to ask Emily about her hair products.

Paige laughs as she lifts her arm to the top of her head, "You have to be this tall to bruise my ego."

Emily laughs at her, making Paige frown in confusion. When Emily saw this, she stopped laughing and asked, "Paige, you know I'm taller than you, right?"

Paige was absolutely horrified, saying, "No you're not."

Emily couldn't stop the smile that graced her face, "Yeah, I am."

Paige was having none of that. She pulled Emily off the bed and the two stood in front of each other. Just before Paige could raises her hand to measure, she noticed just how close they were standing. If she had leaned over just a few inches, she would be able to kiss Emily until she couldn't remember her own name.

Biting down on her lip, she shook those thoughts from her head. She quickly measured their heights and was horrified to find that Emily was about an inch taller than her.

"What the fuck?" Paige says this so softly and honestly horrified that Emily can't stop laughing.

She falls into a heap on the bed, saying through her laughter, "Even with the inches you gained from phasing, you're still short."

"I'm not short!" Paige yells back, red-faced and pouting.

Emily waves her off, saying, "Alright, short-stack, whatever you say."

Paige, giving up on life, flops onto the bed and groans into a nearby pillow. Emily giggles at her defeated form, probably feeling pretty victorious. Her giggles began to trail off and Paige had noticed.

Completely out of the blue, Emily asks, "So where do werewolves come from?"

Paige stiffens from where she was lying down, before sitting up on the bed, asking, "What?"

Emily groans and pushes back against the bed-head, saying, "It's just — Whenever I ask my Dad about this, he just says that the less I know about them the better. I'm not a little kid anymore; I can handle stories about the big, bad wolf."

Paige raised an eyebrow, "Really? You wanna hear _all_ the gruesome details?"

"Seriously? You'll tell me?" With the face that Emily was making — like a child finding out that Christmas came early — Paige couldn't help but cave in.

"I can't see why not. I know how the Hunters formed — in retaliation to rogue werewolves — so you might as well know about us."

Emily fist bumps and hugs a pillow to her chest, eagerly waiting for Paige to tell the story. Paige had no idea what to say or where to start.

To start, she asked, "Well, what do you know already about us?"

Emily hums softly, saying, "Most of the stories we're told say that werewolves were cursed. That they caused harm to someone important and they cursed them and their children with lycanthropy. Is that true?"

Paige gives a mirthless laugh, "You guys got the gist of it: we've cursed. My family follows the Greek origin, which is probably the worst one."

Emily's eyebrows come together in confusion as she asks, "What do you mean?"

Paige frowns at the girl in front of her. "Don't you know the story of Zeus and King Lycaon?"

Emily shakes her head, "No, I told you: my Dad never wanted me to take pity on something I'd have to kill so the less I knew, the better."

Paige sighs and leans forward, letting her boot clad feet dangle off the edge. The entire room smelled like Emily and it was beginning to make Paige's head swing. Hopefully concentrating on the story would help her anchor herself.

She begins, "My dad told me this story when I was much younger, so I thought it was probably a fairytale he used to put me to sleep. In hindsight, I probably should have figured out what was going on with Mona by then."

All the signs, now blatant and glaring to Paige, flashed in her mind. She felt stupid for not seeing it, even though there was no way she could've known.

She continues, "Anyway, in Ancient Greece, the King of Arcadia was Lycaon. He was an arrogant man who was pampered all his life. He had about fifty sons to his name. One of them, Nyctimus, was his least favoured son. He comes in later in the story.

"So, Lycaon was angry with his people for favouring the Olympian Gods and the Titan Prometheus, over him. He devised a plan to challenge their godhood. He thought if he served them human flesh and they didn't notice, he could prove they weren't true gods."

Emily shakes her head lazily, saying, "So the king of Arcadia was an idiot. Good to know."

Paige shrugs and looks back at Emily, saying, "Not so much an idiot as he was arrogant. He wanted to be treated like a god, but he spited the real ones. Either way, he sent the gods an invitation to a royal banquet in his home. As for the human flesh he was going to serve, Nyctimus had always gotten on his nerves…"

Paige swore she saw some colour leave Emily's face before she says, "Oh my god, Paige. _Stop_."

She laughs — she can't help it — and reassures her, "It's a big part of the story, Em. Just roll with it."

"OK, but I think I'm gonna be sick." Emily pauses for moment, a hand gently covering her stomach, before asking, "You said your Dad told you this story when you were young."

"About eight or nine, why?"

Emily chuckles and says, "No offence but your Dad is a horrible story-teller. I would have had nightmares for days."

Paige started stretching, flexing the muscles in her arms as she said, "McCullers are made of sturdier stuff, I guess."

Emily shoves her with her foot, saying, "Yeah, yeah, just finish the story."

"Where was I up to? Oh, right! So when the Olympian Gods attended the banquet and everyone dug into their meals, Lycaon was watching on. He suddenly realised that if the Gods did realise what he had done, they'd probably kill him."

"No shit, Sherlock." Emily deadpanned.

" _Em_." Paige shot her a warning look, although a hint of a smile grew on her face.

"Sorry." She murmured.

Paige continued, "So, Zeus, who had eaten first, quickly realised what had happened. In a fit of rage, he asked Lycaon why had he tampered with the food. When he didn't say anything, Zeus looked around and found that all of his sons were seated at the banquet. All except Nyctimus.

"Zeus cursed him for his barbarism by turning him into a monster: half-man and half-wolf. This form would better suit his nature. And he cursed the rest of his sons too, for not stopping their father.

"And that's the Greek legend. Lycaon was the father of lycanthropy and his sons spread the curse through their children, who spread it to their children, and y'know the rest."

By the end, Paige had watched Emily connected the morbid dots together. This probably wasn't what she was expecting — and not enough to completely satisfy her curiosity with lycanthropy — but it would have to do for now.

"So," Emily began slowly, "because one man cut up his son and served it to the Gods, there are thousands of werewolves around the world?"

"Especially in Greece, yeah." Paige shrugged, toying with the edges of her pillow.

"Wow." Emily breathed and leaned further back into the bed-head.

Paige scoffed, saying, "I don't really believe it."

"Seriously? I know it's a bit far-fetched, what with all the Greek gods and cannibalism. But you don't think there is some truth to it?" There's this hopeful look in Emily's eyes that makes Paige want to swoon.

"I do believe that Lycaon is the father of all werewolves and that his sons spread the infections. I don't believe that anything divine had to do with it. He must have meddled in some supernatural bullshit and got himself cursed by a powerful spirit."

Emily smiled softly, saying, "I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this: the werewolves, the spirits, everything."

"Don't worry; you've got your whole life to get it." The moment that Paige said this, she realised how it sounded. Emily could either brush it off or make something of it. Paige didn't know which one she wanted to happen.

Emily grinned cheekily, saying, "Careful, Paige. Someone might think you're making an offer."

Paige still didn't have her answer, but she didn't really care. So long as Emily kept smiling at like that, she didn't want anything more.


	9. Chapter 9

When Paige gets to Lucas' house, she reeks of chlorine and her hair is dripping wet. She feels worn out and her eyes burn but she clutches the box in her hands with excitement. She stands outside his door, mentally preparing herself for whatever is inside.

She pushes the door open and is greeted by a sad sight. Lucas is sitting on his bed, looking worse than she remembers. His hair is unkempt, his cheeks have hollowed out, his skin has a grey tinge to it and there are dark red circles under his eyes.

But even with his ill-look, he still smiles at Paige like he was still fifteen and human.

"Paige?" He asks, obviously not expecting her.

"Hey." She greets as she makes her way in. She takes her seat in the computer chair by his bed, easing into it. She sets her school bag down before she passes him the box. He gingerly opens it. It's only when she sees his hands that she realises he's lost a lot of weight.

Lucas grins and quickly pulls out a chocolate-chip cookie from inside the box. He immediately stuffs one in his mouth, moaning as he says, "Oh, thank God: sugar!"

Paige laughs at him, thoroughly enjoying the joy she brings the boy.

He swallows down the treat before saying, "You don't understand Paige; Mum hasn't given me anything with sugar since Mona told her about my… _condition_."

Paige chooses to ignore his last word, instead asking, "What, why?"

He has this sarcastic look in his eye that makes Paige frown, "She says it might _provoke_ the guy. As if demons only respond to caffeine highs."

Paige laughs once more as he nearly shoves the entire cookie in his mouth. He groans in happiness, "Holy crap, Paige. These are amazing. I didn't know you could cook."

Paige leans back into the chair, saying, "I didn't make those, actually; Eli did."

"Eli?" Lucas raises an eyebrow in suspicion.

Paige nods, although a hint of a grin can be seen.

"Little brother Elijah who got stuck in a drain once?" He asks, now flashing her his own grin.

Paige nods and laughs, "The same one who broke the toaster by shoving a knife in it."

"And got attacked by a deer that one time we went camping."

The two laugh heartily, not caring if it's at the boy's expense. However, as their laughter dies down, Paige knows she has to ask the question that's been plaguing her mind since she left.

Leaning forward in her chair, she asks, "So how've you been holding up?"

Lucas smirks, saying, "Oh it's been great. Septimus and I have been getting along swimmingly."

Paige frowns sadly at him, saying, "Lucas. You can tell me."

"Just drop it, Paige." Lucas is giving Paige all of the warning signs to back off, but Paige has never taken 'No' as an answer before.

Paige probes him, "It's OK."

Lucas is seething as he says, "I'm fucking terrified, Paige! OK? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"No, Lucas-" Paige tries to back out but Lucas doesn't give her the chance.

"I don't even know how to explain it. It's like — like-"

"Like you're trapped in your own body?" Paige finishes for him, choosing to be honest with the boy. She knows the only way she'll get him to open up is if she doesn't lie to him.

He clenches his jaw but nods, saying, "Yeah."

"You're not the only one with a monster inside them. My body isn't mine anymore. Not since I phased."

Lucas shakes his head, "It's not the same, Paige."

"Really? It's not the same? So you aren't terrified that you're just going to snap and murder everyone you love? You don't feel like you're trapped in your body, always fighting the monster living in the back of your mind!"

Paige is breathing hard and glaring at Lucas, who looks away, still angry.

"Once you become a werewolf, you have to share your body with a monster that wears your face. And they are just waiting for you to slip up, to come out and ruin everything. So don't tell me I don't know what that feels like."

Lucas is quiet for sometime. He swallows thickly and nods, saying, "I'm sorry."

"No, Lucas, don't be. I didn't mean to blow up like that." Paige says gently.

"You were right though. That's exactly what it's like. It's like he's just under my skin, waiting." Lucas brings his knees up to his chest, hugging them tightly as he shakes, "I just wish none of this was happening."

"Lucas…"

"No, Paige! Don't baby me! I don't feel safe anymore. I can hear him when I sleep, whispering things that I can't block out. I can feel everything he feels, the rage, the hate — I can't even tell what's mine and what's his anymore."

Paige leans forward and grabs Lucas' hand, "You don't have to feel like that, Lucas. I can help you."

"Really, Paige. You wanna help? You wanna get rid of the demon in my body without killing me? You wanna cure my lycanthropy? Go ahead."

Paige is quiet for a while, before saying, "I can't do that."

Lucas scoffs and rips his hand from Paige, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But I can help you find control."

Paige looks at he boy eagerly and he slowly caves in, asking, "…How?"

"By finding an anchor. Something that helps you in your darkest moments, when it seems like your only choice is to give in." Paige does her best to explain it but even she doesn't fully understand the concept.

Dejectedly, Lucas says, "I don't have that."

But Paige doesn't give up, saying, "You just have to think about. What is the one thing that keeps you up at night? What makes up get up in the morning and get through the day? What is the one thing Septimus can't have?"

Lucas looks more lost than before, "I don't know."

"You'll find it, Lucas. Everyone does." Paige smiles, not out of sympathy but encouragement.

"How…" Lucas pauses, as if steeling his nerves, "How did you find yours?"

This was not something that Paige was expecting, since she asks, "Mine?"

Lucas nods.

Paige begins to fidget in her seat, "Well… it's pretty morbid, Lucas. I'm not sure if-"

Lucas leans forward, practically begging her, " _Please_ , Paige. You said you could help me. Just tell me."

Bile rises in her throat but she swallows it down. Fuelled by the bitter taste, she says, "Anger. My anchor is anger."

Lucas frowns, "Anger? Isn't that what you're trying to find an anchor for?"

Paige shakes her head, "You're not thinking of the same kind of anger. It's not the red, hot anger that runs through your veins and makes your heart race… It's the cold fury that sits in the pit of my stomach — the kind that burns and scars."

Paige hadn't expected her answer to be so… descriptive. And apparently neither did Lucas, who sat with his mouth slightly ajar, staring at her.

She continues, "Once I latched onto that, any other urges I felt were… trivial, I guess. They didn't matter anymore. Pain, anger, grief, none of them. Just rage."

Lucas presses her, "How long did it take? To find your anchor."

"It happened the moment I phased. When werewolves are turned, the venom spikes our hormones and emotions. I was angry at everything and everything hurt twice as bad. When you get in the place that I was, you look for something to anchor you. And after everything that happened with Emily…

"Let's just say I had a lot to be angry about."

Lucas rolls his eyes, saying, "Paige, your girlfriend dumped you, it wasn't the end of the world."

The sheer patronisation in his tone sets Paige off, "You think that made me lose it? You think my life revolved around one girl?"

"No that's not what I-" Lucas could see the fire in her eyes and quickly tried to back out, but Paige was far from over.

"Let's make a list, shall we: There was my Dad and his obsession with perfecting me; Alison constantly hounding me and pushing me over the edge; Mona constantly trying to start a war with the Hunters and roping the whelps into it; Eli who basically shut himself out when _she_ left-"

Her eyes glistened but she refused to cry. She bit down on the inside of her cheek, almost cringing at the metallic taste of blood.

"I get it-"

"Oh, I'm sorry? Is this getting too real for you? Was it easier for you to pretend like this wasn't happening to me?"

Paige had pushed him too far, she knew that; his face was scrunched up and red, and the look in his eyes was downright murderous.

He powers through with a shaky voice, spitting, "Screw you, Paige. I wasn't the one who dumped their friend for Mona Vanderwaal. You got your shiny new toy and suddenly, you couldn't find the time to talk to Hermy. You had problems, Paige, I get it. But don't act like no one wanted to help you."

Memories of a younger Lucas flashed in her mind. Memories that she had long since buried out of guilt. She never wanted to remember or relive them, let alone talk about them.

"Don't you think it was hard for me too? I lost the only friend I had made in ten years, Paige. While you were dealing with werewolf bullshit, people like me were getting even more shit from Alison. Did it ever cross your mind that maybe you weren't the only one who needed saving?"

This struck a chord in Paige. She didn't know if it was the tone of his voice, the look in his eyes or the fact that this information went over her head for years. Whatever it was, it washed over Paige like a goddamn tidal wave.

"Oh fuck. Lucas…" Paige presses her head into her hands, suddenly feeling like the world had been turned on its head, "I'm so sorry."

The only sound to be heard was Paige's ragged breathing. She couldn't believe how self-centred she had been this whole time. Even more than that, she couldn't believe what a shitty friends she had been.

And as she sits on the edge of his bed, feeling like her chest was concaving, she hears Lucas let out a small laugh. It's small, broken almost, but it's there.

"Look at us; two kids with too many problems."

Paige knows what that is. He's not apologising for what they've said but rather, offering a white flag. He was extending an olive branch and Paige couldn't be happier to take it.

She rubs her eyes, as if waking up from a stupor and smiles when she says, "I just came here to give you some cookies, not to have a heart-to-heart that's two years overdue."

They laugh together and for once, Paige doesn't have to walk on egg-shells around him. For once, they feel normal.

* * *

Paige barely noticed that the sun had fallen and the moon had taken its' place. She had been lounging on Lucas' computer chair as they played Minecraft on his Xbox when she finally noticed how late it had gotten.

She bolted up from her chair and grabbed her school bag, rifling through the contents.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked from his bed.

"I'm late; I should've been home ages ago." Paige answered as she pulled out a stack of papers. There were at least fifty pages held together with clips, and from what Lucas could see, it was highlighted and annotated as well.

Paige barely noticed what it was she was handing him, since she was solely focused on fixing her bag.

Lucas gingerly took the papers, eager to see what it was. He flicks through the pages, gears turning in his head.

Just as Paige was about to leave, he asks, "Why did you hand me a booklet on lycanthropy?"

She froze. She looked back at the bag in her hands, and to the papers in Lucas' hands. As her cheeks stained red with embarrassment, she snatched the papers out of his hands and stuffed it into her bag.

"Here." She mutters, throwing the correct booklet onto his bed with looking. He looked down at it and found a Chemistry assignment where he was paired up with Paige.

She made her way to leave but stopped when Lucas said, "Paige."

Pivoting around, she tried to give him a nonchalant expression. Judging by the way he was glaring at her, it didn't work.

"It's for Emily." She confesses, wincing when Lucas threw his hands up in disbelief.

"What the hell, Paige?" He yelled, "You can't just go around giving people details about this stuff. Do I have to remind you that this girl is a Hunter?"

"It's just stuff off the internet, Lucas," She says, exasperated, "It's not like I'm giving her a Bestiary."

"Then what's with all the highlights and sticky notes?" Lucas was standing now, looking thoroughly violated.

Paige ran a hand through her now-dry hair, saying, "They're just stuff like what's true and what has more backstory. She could probably find out all this stuff from the rest of the Hunters. It's no big deal."

Lucas crossed his arms and glared pointedly at her.

"I'm just trying to be a good friend, Lucas" Paige said, "If she knows that I'm taking an interest in what she likes — that I trust her with this — then maybe she'll trust me too."

He didn't say anything for a while. Paige noted that his stance was still defensive, but less tense then before.

Finally, he said, "Fine. I won't say a word."

Relief washed over her. She grinned and said, "Thanks, Lucas, you're the-"

"But," He held his hand up, cutting her off, "I just have one question for you."

Paige held back a sigh by clenching her jaw. She nodded.

"Why do you trust her so much?"

It was a simple question, yet it was one that Paige hadn't known the answer to. In fact, she had been asking herself that same question for weeks now, with no results. But as she stood there, feeling the scrutinising gaze of her friend, she knew what to say.

"Why do I trust you, an abomination who used his best friend?" She asked, noting the way he winced, "Why do I trust Mona, an Alpha who keeps everyone away and only ever has her own best interests at heart? I mean, why do I trust my own father, who made my childhood a _living nightmare_?"

She waited for Lucas to say something and when he didn't, she asked, "I don't know why I trust anyone; I just do. At least Em is trying."

He didn't say a word, he just nodded softly and lowered his gaze. For a moment, he looked like the fifteen-year-old boy who only lived in her memories. Paige swallowed down a lump that rose in her throat.

She left without another word.


	10. Chapter 10

Being a few days into spring, Paige felt better than ever. The cold was quickly departing and being replaced with the fresh spring air. Flowers were beginning to bloom and the snow was all but gone from Rosewood.

She had been watching her backyard through the window in her room. Specifically, the plum blossom tree that stood tall and proud in the middle of the garden. It's branches fanned out like lightning and acted like an umbrella for the smaller plants below. And now that spring had arrived, the pink flowers had begun to blossom, adding even more colour.

She grinned with pride before focusing on the smaller plants in her room. A variety of cacti and succulents were lined up on her window sill, cooling down under the moonlight. It added some life to the room.

Just as she begun to admire the plants, her phone buzzed beside her. Paige jumped where she sat in her bed, before clutching her chest and cursing. Bunny, who was happily lounging on her bed, whined at the interruption of peace.

"This better be important." Paige growled to herself, snatching the phone up and reading the name.

Her heart stopped for a moment before racing, when she found who was calling: Emily Fields. The voice in her mind laughed, 'Oh, it's important.'

Her excitement overpowered her anxiety. She answered the phone and said, "Hey Em."

"Hey Paige!" Emily said, sounding as bubbly as ever. Paige smiled so widely it hurt her. Something about knowing that Emily was happy made Paige feel good.

"What's up?" Paige asked, lying back on her bed.

"Well, I've been studying for this stupid exam for the best two hours and now the thought of algebra makes me sick." Emily said, half-joking. Paige laughed softly at her exhaustion.

Paige eyed her own workbook, which Bunny was carelessly drooling on. She says, "Tell me about it. I'd rather do anything except study right now."

"Anything?" Emily almost purred, causing Paige to freeze, "You know, I'm not usually into doing this over the phone but-"

"Oh my God, Em, _stop_!" Paige laughed but thanked God that Emily couldn't see her red face. Emily flirting was never a good idea, especially for Paige.

"You're so easy to embarrass, Paige." Emily giggles.

Paige rolls her eyes and says, "Shall I remind you about the baby pictures your Mum showed me?"

"Ugh, she's so embarrassing!" Emily cried with a playful tone, "I can't believe you went along with it."

Paige shrugged, "You were a cute baby… And so very, _very_ chubby."

Emily groans into the phone, "Don't remind me."

"And you had so much hair. It's no wonder that your cousins called you Tarzan."

The two laugh at the memory. As Paige laughed, her head lolled to the side and she caught sight of her plants. Remembering that she needed to water them, she got off the bed and waltzed to the bathroom.

As she did, Emily asked, "So I've got a question."

Paige looked through the cabinets as she said, "Shoot."

"So I finished reading that booklet you gave me, y'know," Emily's voice grew to a whisper, "the _werewolf_ one."

Paige, giving up her search, leaned against the sink and said, "I know the one. Go on."

"Well, you mentioned something about bloodlines and traditionalism in werewolf society. You said that your society was kind of forgotten over time but the rules stayed the same in families."

She frowned lightly, asking, "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, you're a pureblood, right? A werewolf that was born and not made?"

"Yeah…"

"And I'm guessing that your Dad is the werewolf parent."

"Mm-hmm."

"Did he ever explain what happened to these societies?"

"Um, yeah, he did. Because of the influx of werewolves in Greece, hunters rose up there predominately, so they spread out. As more and more families left Greece, the traditions and lore went with them. The only thing that stuck was that born werewolves were the strongest."

"There are werewolves all over the world, and no one except themselves and their loved ones know? That's…" Emily trailed off.

"Unbelievable? Impossible?" Paige answered for her,"We have a sort of government that keeps us from being exposed. Like a secret police on lycanthropy."

There was a pause before Emily asked, "Are you serious?"

Paige shrugged, "That's what my Dad said."

"I've never even heard of them; I thought the Hunters were the only thing rooting out werewolves." Emily sounded bewildered at the thought of it.

"They only let you kill us because of population increases. Too many werewolves means too many issues for them."

"Who are they?"

Judging that the conversation was coming to a conclusion, Paige returned to her search, "We don't actually know that. That's apparently what makes them so effective."

"OK…" Emily says slowly, "Were they always in charge or…?"

Paige found the spray and waltzed back into her room.

She says, "Apparently they only formed when werewolves started to leave Europe. Most families could hide their lycanthropy but with more and more hybrids showing up in other continents, someone had to control them."

She positioned the spray above her plants and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. She tried repeatedly and still nothing. She turned the spray to face her as she twisted the nozzle.

"So the Hunters aren't the only werewolf-killers around, huh?" Emily said playfully.

"I guess you could call it that — Ow, fuck!" Paige cried, having dropped the spray, and clutched her now wet eyes.

"Paige? What's wrong?" Emily asked, her voice filled with alarm.

"I sprayed myself in the eye." Paige said, gently dabbing the water off her face with her shirt.

Emily asked slowly, "With what and why?"

Off-handedly, Paige answered, "With water. I was trying to water my plants."

"You garden?" She asked, obviously confused.

Paige, having fixed the wonky nozzle, gingerly sprayed her plants as she said, "Hell yes. My entire backyard is one big fruit-and-veg garden, and my room is _full_ of plants."

Emily laughed softly and asked, "Since when do you garden?"

"Since about two years ago when-" Paige began but her tongue stilled. Fear made the hair on the back of her neck stand.

Emily broke the silence, asking, "Paige?"

Paige shook her head and resumed spraying, trying to distract herself, "It's nothing, just a hobby."

"Paige." Emily said this with ice in her voice, "Since when?"

"Since you left." Paige sighed, "It was a good distraction and it kind of just blew up."

Emily sighed too, saying, "We've talked about this, Paige."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"It's OK to tell me these things, Paige. I'm not gonna judge you."

"I know that. It's just…"

"Just what Paige?"

"I just didn't want you to think that I was weak, I guess. That just because you left me, I was ready to do anything to forget."

Saying this gave Paige more relief than she though possible. She loved that she could be so honest with Emily. It was actually really refreshing.

"Paige, I'm only going to say this once so you better listen. The fact that you have the ability to love so deeply is the strongest thing I've ever seen. Don't ever apologise for loving someone."

Paige's chest clenched tightly and she felt like the air in her lungs had left her. Being the hopeless romantic she is, Paige practically swooned at Emily's words.

Before she could reply, however, Mona barged into her room.

She wore a smug expression as she adjusted a stack of papers and envelopes tucked under her arm. Paige's heart skipped a beat at the sight of it.

"Paige?" Emily asked.

"Um, Em, I have to go. I'll call you back in a sec, OK?"

Emily, obviously confused, said, "Yeah, that's fine."

Paige hangs up, not bothering to say a goodbye. Mona throws the papers on Paige's bed, causing Bunny to growl at her.

Paige, horrified, asks, "You actually got them back? You broke into a Hunter's house?"

"Indeed, I did. All your grossly affectionate and _alarmingly_ smooth letters are accounted for." Mona grins as she pulls out something from behind her back. "I also snagged these puppies while I was at it."

When Mona held up said object, Paige froze with alarm.

"Mona, I swear to God," Paige warns the girl while eyeing the bedazzled notebooks, "if that is-"

"Alison's diaries? Why yes, Paige. Yes, they are."

Paige has no idea what to do. She doesn't know whether to kick Mona out of her house, diaries included, or to curl up into a feral position and panic.

"Do you know how hard it was to get these?" Mona asks, "I had to wait until Alison left for her grandmother's house before we could sniff them out. Say what you want about her, but bitch can hide."

Paige frowns, "Wait. Didn't Alison leave last Saturday?"

"Yup."

"You've had these for four days?" Paige says, alarmed, the reality of the situation only just beginning to hit her.

"I've been busy. I spent the first two days covering up my tracks. Yesterday was spent reading through them. I even photocopied them."

"Jesus Christ, Mona…" Paige trails off, suddenly feeling a wave of stress wash over her.

"Stop freaking out. Alison can't go to the police: she's confessed to a lot of heinous shit in here." Mona says, bored, "In fact, you should be thanking me."

"For what? Breaking and entering? For thievery?" Paige asks, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

"For giving you the edge you need over Alison. If you blackmail her with even half of what's in there, you'll have Alison running for the hills and Emily in the bag."

Paige's moral compass felt like it was going to implode. "Fuck, no."

"Suit yourself." Mona says, scooping up the diaries. The relief that washes over Paige as she watches Mona leave, vanishes when she turns around.

"But if you change your mind," Mona says, placing the books onto Paige's beside table, "they'll be right here."

Paige's blood ran cold.

As Mona struts out of the room with a triumphant sway in her hips, Paige can only sit on her bed and eye the books. The horror and anxiety overshadowed the security of finally having her letters back. They seemed to sing to Paige, seducing her to give into temptation. The only thing keeping Paige from devouring the information was her moral fibre.

But as the seconds ticked by, Paige wondered how long she could last.

The sound of her phone vibrating cut through her thoughts. Looking down, Paige found a text from Emily, asking if she was OK.

Her heart leapt into her throat. She realised that she would have to keep this secret from Emily now. She had promised herself that this time, her relationship with Emily would be without secrets and lies. Yet, Paige was the doing exactly the opposite.

Well, fuck.


End file.
